Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Thirty-Four

Usagi stepped out of the car and looked in awe at the view in front of her "So beautiful..." she whispered to herself as she listened to Mamoru mumbling about something she guessed it was about her enormous luggage.

She was truly surprised when Mamoru told her they were actually leaving for a few days and that things were arranged to have a decent honeymoon and while they may not have gone too far she still wanted to go prepared for everything, as always. Also, Usagi did not know the meaning of the words 'duffle bag' and she could not put the words light and travel together. She was excited to learn her husband had come up with the idea to go to an exclusive hot spring in a secluded area in the Tohoku region of Sendai—a four-hour trip from Tokyo because one: she had never been there before, and two: it was the perfect excuse to have their time alone but close enough to home in case there was some sort of emergency and they had to head back.

Usagi turned and held her black hat to prevent it from blowing away with the chilly breeze of the mountains and walked back to the car and sighed softly at her husband, still mumbling things under his breath, "Are you going to let me help you now?"

Mamoru paused and took a deep breath, then turned to look at her. If it wasn't for those dark sunglasses he was wearing, Usagi could almost swear he was giving her a both exhausted and annoyed glare. Mamoru had a point—she did pack way too much and the luggage bag she chose to bring to that particular trip was not helping either. She bit her lower lip to try to suppress her laughter while he continued to struggle with the crazy number of bags inside the car. "Are all these really necessary, Usa?"

"Safety first." Usagi raised one finger to play along with the sweet tone of her voice. Mamoru finally managed to take the giant luggage out of the trunk and put it in front of his wife, "Safety for what, exactly?" he frowned, "We are in the middle of nowhere, the city is roughly 30 minutes away from here, "

"Ah well—there you go," Usagi smiled and tapped his nose with her finger playfully, "You never know what you can find—a bear, a tiger a—"

"A bear, a tiger? Mamoru slid his shades up and looked at her incredulously, "Since when do you need twenty pairs of shoes to fight a bear?" he sweatdropped "Or a... tiger?" Usagi chuckled, "I am not carrying twenty pairs of shoes—"

"Oh, my bad... twenty-one,"

"For your information—" Usagi bit her lip and pointed another bag "They're not in that luggage, they're in that bag," she laughed while pointing another bag that was still inside the car, "Come on Mamo-chan, I didn't bring that much! In my defense, you brought a lot too!"

Mamoru responded quickly to her remark and put his duffle bag on the floor and quirked his brow, Usagi blinked with amaze at the medium sized bag and sighed softly, "How the hell do you do it?"

"Do what?" Mamoru slid his shades down again and looked at her with a frown.

"Pack just one thing."

"I don't have just one thing packed,"

"Well—what about all those bags that are still inside the trunk?" Usagi pointed her finger at them, Mamoru turned to his wife with the same frown, "Usa, those are yours too." Usagi widened her eyes and pushed her own big and round shades up "Really?"

"Yes, really," Mamoru closed the trunk and activated the car alarm before turning on his heel, Usagi widened her eyes "Wait, Mamo-chan, what about the other bags?" Mamoru put one small bag on each shoulder, held his duffle bag with one hand and Usagi's monstrous travel case with the other as he walked towards the inn's reception, "If a bear comes to attack us—we will have to figure out which sequence dress we can use to our advantage."

Usagi looked at him with a shocked face "Wait—how do you—"

"I saw you packing it last minute." Mamoru kept walking until they went inside the lodge. Usagi stood there for a minute before following behind, "It was 3 in the morning, how do you know?!" she narrowed her gray-blue eyes, "You were supposed to be asleep..." Mamoru stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, "I'm a light sleeper... remember?"

"Ah... yes... that." Usagi pouted her lips, "Seriously, Mamo-chan, you need to do something about that—it's not healthy."

Mamoru chuckled as he put the bags on the floor and turned to the receptionist to do the check-in process while Usagi waited quietly by his side and looked around the minimal and fancy lobby and the greenery behind the reception's large window. She has heard about this place before, she even remembers designing a spread on an article about the small but highly popular and exclusive little hotel. As she silently watched Mamoru signing the check-in receipt she couldn't help but think about how much this little trip was probably costing him since it was something he planned on his own; she knew her husband had a rather peculiar background and that while he almost never talked about it, she knew his family name was well known among socialites and wealthy people. When they officially started dating, Usagi was very much surprised to learn he was somehow part of that world because he had simple and humble personality and a lack of interest for that kind of lifestyle she knew he could easily have. Mamoru didn't like to speak much about it and he always said it was a world he never felt he belonged to because when his parents passed away he was too young to fully understand the wealth his family had harvested over the years and way before he was even born. When he was transferred to the orphanage, his inheritance was put on hold because he was a minor and when he went to live on his own, he did it by his own means because he was still underage and unauthorized to have control of the big responsibility that was to take care and manage his family's assets and bank accounts. Things took a change when he turned seventeen and he was granted some authorization to make use of his inheritance with the advice and help of his parent's closest friend and legal accountant until he was eighteen when he was granted full control; it was months before he met Usagi that he was able to move from the small studio he was renting to the apartment she slowly helped him turn into a cozy home for them.

It was a known fact for Usagi that everything Mamoru had up to this day was the product of his efforts to earn a place in the world by his own merits. Motoki later confided her one of their private conversations and told her Mamoru was so desperate to leave the orphanage that as soon as he got his first job at the local market he rented a tiny room in a building hidden in an alley where he used to share one bathroom with other five people while he continued with his studies and worked between schedules until he earned the grant and he switched to Moto Azabu High School. He lived a quiet, humble life despite residing in a fancy building until he started dating Usagi where his charming personality came afloat and felt motivated to open up to her and provide her with everything he could offer her at that time and it has been that way ever since.

Once everything was settled, the couple walked around the many facilities including one of the five hot springs and the big pool with a view to a river between greenery and all kinds of scented flowers.

After reaching the room that would be their home for the next few days, Mamoru finally managed to open the door and stepped aside to let Usagi walk inside first carrying his duffle bag she insisted so much on taking to help him with the luggage but it still surprised by how lightweight it felt as to how heavy her suitcase was in comparison. As soon as she stepped inside the spacious room she took a quick tour at the room and gaped at the fancy accommodations that included an adjacent bathroom next to the king-size bedroom, a living room with a wide screen t.v. and a small kitchenette with a fancy coffee machine—of course, Usagi thought. But what truly took her breath away was the view they had from their balcony; Mamoru put the bags inside the closet and walked over her and wrapped his arms around her waist "Lovely isn't it?"

Usagi nodded and leaned her head back on Mamoru's chest with a wide smile on her face, "Being with you is. To me, that is the loveliest thing of all," she turned to look at him and pushed his dark shades back, "Ah, there you are—hello," she giggled, "You are always hiding your eyes behind those dark shades." Mamoru chuckled, "You say it like if it was a bad thing."

"To me, it is," Usagi smiled and ran her hand through his midnight hair, "I like to look at them—how they change colors... I love how intense they are,"

"I like to look at you," Mamoru said softly and leaned down to kiss her softly, "All of you," Usagi blushed and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck "Is this real?" Mamoru blinked, "What do you mean?"

"This—us together... is it real? Did our wedding really happen? Are we really married?" Usagi looked up at him like a curious bunny but her crystal blue eyes still held a hint of worry. Mamoru tightened his arms around her waist and picked her up so she could meet him eye to eye, "Yes Usa, it's real." he took a deep breath and rubbed his nose with hers, "Everything that has happened—it's real. We are really married."

Usagi bit her glossy lip, her pale blue eyes could not stop looking into his sapphire ones; always so alluring, so deep in color and so magnetic, it was impossible for her not to feel drawn into them. "I'm scared that someone will come and steal all this happiness from us—once again," she could feel the fright slowly dominating her heart and slowly drifting her apart from their peaceful moment, "What if everything we have worked for so hard suddenly crumbles beneath our feet?" her eyes slowly began to burn with tears "What if—"

"Usa..." Mamoru frowned and shook his head, "No," his arms tightened around her, "Don't think about that."

"I don't want to lose you—" Usagi breathed, her mortification was beginning to turn into anxiety, worrying Mamoru "Usa,"

"I don't want to lose you ever again—I"

"Usagi," Mamoru said in a more serious, low tone. His sudden and unusual change startled her since he barely ever called her by her full name, not even when they had disagreements, not even when they argued about silly things, not even joking; it was unnatural for him but the sudden change in their conversation required it. She blinked the tears trapped between her lashes and gaped at him, a gesture Mamoru didn't even mind consider, "You are not going to lose me," his voice remained the same; Usagi noticed his eyes slowly turned darker, "I am here with you and that will never change—don't be afraid." he reaffirmed her.

Usagi leaned her head on his shoulder, "Promise me, promise me you will stay with me forever."

Mamoru closed his eyes for a moment and allowed his power to link to her feelings to try and understand her sudden reaction. Usagi on the other hand slowly began to feel a warm energy surrounding her like a protective blanket and took a deep breath; "I promise," she heard him say softly and felt his hand combing her hair with his fingers in a soothing rhythm. They stayed like that for a couple of more minutes before Mamoru slowly put her down and intertwined his fingers with hers and walked with her to the balcony. The sun was starting to set behind the mountains painting them in several shades of blue and purple contrasting the golden color of the skies; he looked up at the gradient sky and smiled at the many stars that started to peek its way into the night and sighed softly, "You feel guilty for being this happy," he turned to look at a very surprised Usagi, "H-How...?"

"But the thing is, Usa, it doesn't matter what comes your way—you are not alone. You are not going to face anything alone," Mamoru gave her a reassuring smile and turned his attention back to the mountains in the distance, "You have been looking after this planet like its true guardian—you courageously took my place and fought for its safety for so many years, it is only natural to feel uneasy about everything that has happened in the last few weeks."

"You have fought for it too Mamo-chan, we have fought for it together." Usagi looked up to him and noticed Mamoru's face had turned serious, "You know what I mean," his hand gave hers a small but secure tug, "Don't be afraid Usa, you have me at your command—whatever you want to do, we will." Usagi widened her eyes and blinked surprised, "W-What?"

"I may be whatever the gods say I am—I may have been trained to perform other tasks but there is nothing I wouldn't do for you, Luna Bunny," he caressed her soft cheek. Usagi moved closer to her prince and ran her arms around his waist in a tight embrace as she watched the last rays from the sun slowly being replaced by the silver light coming from the moon. Somehow, she felt transported back to those years when she used to sneak behind everyone's back to go down to Earth to meet with the Terran Prince. It was the same light that always guided her path and that accompanied them until it was time for her to return home and count the hours until her return. "Do you remember—when you taught me how to fight?"

Mamoru nodded, "I do—yes. You were too eager to learn," he narrowed his deep blue eyes, "But I still stand under the same belief, I don't want you to hold a sword to kill—not again."

"Again?" Usagi blinked, confused. Mamoru sighed softly, "That day... when I held the sword, I saw what you did that night." He turned and leaned down to be at the same eye level as her and frowned, "I felt it—the way it pierced your heart, I felt the pain and the warmth of your blood tainting the blade..." Usagi widened her eyes with surprise, "It's the first time you talk about it..."

"It is not a pretty memory Usa, I rather not." Mamoru pinched her nose playfully, trying to lighten the mood. Usagi thought in all the things he must feel and he must remember now; she never imagined he could hold such vivid and dark moment carved in his mind, how he could feel something like her blood running down the blade of his sword or the feeling of it piercing her heart. She sighed softly and tapped his forehead with her finger, imitating the familiar gesture he did with her, "It's funny how you had another part of our memories perfectly hidden somewhere inside your mind," Mamoru smiled in response and turned to sit in one of the chairs out on the balcony and pulled Usagi softly to sit on his lap; a gesture she never declined whenever it was offered—ever. She wrapped her arms around his chest and cuddled her head in the nook between his neck and his shoulder and sighed softly, "You have always been a good pillow,"

Mamoru chuckled, "Thank you?"

Usagi smiled, "You have always been so comfortable—you're like," she squeezed his arm, "Squishy but firm." The comment made Mamoru break into laughter, "Squishy but firm—is that even a thing?"

"I just made it a thing," Usagi felt immediately infected by his warm and fluid laughter but no matter how much they tried to suppress the underlining of their sudden moments of silence there were still so many things she wanted to ask him, there was so much she wanted to know but she was also afraid he might try to divert the conversation and avoid talking about it. Endymion or Mamoru, he was still the same protective, mysterious and sharpest man she has ever met; the same man that made her heart flutter in her chest and made her lose all reason but also the same man with a very hermetic personality like the true Leo he is, he had a pride and honor to protect.

After a couple of minutes of silence, her smile slowly faded and was again replaced with wonder and worry, "You said you would not let me wield a sword to kill anyone but, would you?"

Mamoru tightened his arms around her and hesitated to answer that particular question because he didn't know how she might react to what he had to say, "My duties as a soldier are different from yours, Usa—now that I know what I am, I understand what the training I had since childhood was really about." He said with caution and sighed softly, "Nothing has really changed, my hands are still tainted but it's part of the deal I made with myself and the path I chose all those years back—it's my duty. I can't turn my back to that part of my life." he leaned his head back, "But, to answer your question, I would not hesitate to do it if you were in danger."

"But I am a soldier too, you don't have to do it..." Usagi said softly, "I can protect myself and you too."

Mamoru smiled and brought her hand to his lips to kissed it softly, "I know, but, you are barking up the wrong tree my dear," he turned to look at her, "You are the sole reason I gather enough strength to deal with the truth of what I am—the only one I live to protect... don't ask me the impossible."

Usagi could feel fresh tears started to pool in her eyes, she leaned closer and caressed his lips with hers before kissing him softly. After parting, she slowly ran her hands through his midnight hair and combed it back, "Your eyes... they're so dark... " she leaned her forehead on his without losing eye contact, "What are you trying to tell me, Prince of Earth?"

Mamoru smiled, "The same thing that I have been telling you for the last two thousand years, Moon Princess—I love you."

Usagi chuckled, "It's like you read my mind."

"Maybe I do." Mamoru winked an eye at her playfully making Usagi's chuckles increase; she loved how he always succumbed to her playful taunts. It was a natural thing for them and it constantly made her feel amazed by how much they were meant to be together. Usagi thought in silence how despite the gods tried their best to keep them apart, they still managed to find a way to meet. This time or any other, they were bound together like a bee to honey, like a moth to a flame. Her perfectly manicured finger tapped her husband's nose and giggled "You are so weird,"

"Ah, look who's talking..." Mamoru mumbled between their kisses and arched his brow once he drew back to look at her, "By the way, my dear normal wife—I would like my chocolates back, please." Usagi widened her eyes and blushed, "W-What are you talking about? What chocolates?"

"The dark chocolate truffles Reika brought me from her trip from Spain... I saw you packing them last minute—they're in that gigantic suitcase of yours," Mamoru narrowed his eyes, "You little chocolate thief," Usagi blinked surprised, "How in the world—you were supposed to be asleep! It was 3 a.m.!"

Mamoru sighed "Usa—we've been together forever and you still don't know that I am a light sleeper? I'm shocked."

"What does that have to do with me packing those chocolates?" Usagi shrugged her shoulders dismissively, "Which by the way, I don't know which ones you are talking about." Mamoru narrowed his blue eyes, "You are the least stealthy person I know. You had a symphony of noises in the room, not to mention your flourish and rather interesting vocabulary..." Usagi blushed "I'm sorry—I just couldn't find my—"

"Nude flats, I know." Mamoru nodded, "You made that very clear." Usagi chuckled, "Okay—I get it, but about those chocolates—" she exhaled with defeat "Who the hell am I kidding? I can never hide anything from you, you're like a ninja..."

Mamoru laughed and kissed her forehead, "Oh Bunny, how I love you..." Usagi blushed and leaned back on his chest again with a smile on her face, "Me too," she sighed softly, "It's chilly..." she said softly as she played with his hair.

"You want me to bring you a blanket, right?"

Usagi grinned with mischief, "Well, now that you mention it... plus, it wouldn't be a bad idea to eat those magical chocolates while we look at this beautiful view—with a blanket,"

"I knew it,"

"I'm telling you, you read my mind,"

"Yeah..."

O—o—o—o—O

Ami walked towards the nurse's station and left a few charts with a patient's current information. She had to admit the hospital felt much colder now that she knew everything that has been happening with Mamoru's case with the board but mostly, the reasons that started all this mess and it bothered her how there was still no news about it, not even Motoki could pick anything from his colleagues or connections around the hospital and it really bothered her.

"Going home, Mizuno-san?" one of the nurses asked her softly as she archived the binder Ami just put over the desk. Ami smiled with a nod "Yes," she sighed tiredly, catching the nurse's attention "Long day?"

"Like you can't imagine."

The nurse smiled and sighed, "I know—I am just starting my shift, I hope it's not as hectic as it was during the day."

"Hopefully," Ami waved her hand at the young nurse "See you tomorrow, Goda-san."

Turning on her heel, she made herself towards the elevator and pressed the number that would take her to the lobby. When her shift extended during the evening like it did that day, she preferred to take the front exit in the lobby since it was more secure than the parking lot. As she waited for the elevator to bring her down, she thought how a good bowl of soba noodles with vegetables could soothe her tired body and spirit before heading home and go to bed. Right now, that sounded like the best of plans until the doors opened and gave her a full view of Satomura Akashi talking so charmingly to one of the nurses. Her heart cringed at the sight of the young man flashing confident smiles and tried her best to make her exit unnoticed; an ability she still needed to master—she silently thought.

"Mizuno-san,"

Ami sighed and tried to contain the slight discomfort creeping all over her as she turned to wave her hand at him "Satomura-san," she said with disinterest and without her usual sweet smile as she continued walking. Akashi excused himself from the conversation he was having with the younger nurse and walked towards the bluenette. Ami had noticed that ever since the whole ordeal with Mamoru and the board started, Akashi had become quite the charmer with the nurses, making her feel disgusted to see him enjoy the attention he was getting now that the young doctor was not around and at the cost of his friend's integrity.

"Hey, Mizuno-san—where are you going?"

"Home," Ami answered bluntly and looked down at her watch, trying her best to stay calm and avoid any eye contact with the man at this point. Akashi tried to put his charms to the test again as he tilted his head to try to look into her eyes, "I didn't know you were still here, otherwise I would have asked you to join me for dinner at the cafeteria, I was lonely back there..."

"I was busy," Ami looked up and shrugged her shoulders, "Tough day,"

Akashi smirked with a nod, "So, got any plans for tonight?"

Ami shook her head and sighed heavily; she was about to blurt something at him but she reconsidered since it might bring more trouble than solutions at this point and she wanted to avoid as much drama as possible. "I have to go," she simply said and turned to walk away taking Akashi completely by surprise since it was very strange for the bluenette to be quiet and this distant towards him. "Mizuno-san?" he followed her as she walked out of the hospital and pulled one of the straps on her backpack, stopping her mid-track. "Wait—hold on,"

"What can I do for you, Satomura-san?" she turned to look at him with clear annoyance written all over her face. By now, Akashi knew something was odd since it was not normal for her to be this cold, "Mizuno-san—are you mad at me or something?"

"No," Ami said softly as she nervously searched for her phone inside her backpack "Look, Satomura-san—"

"Ah, I see—it's because of what's going on with him, isn't it?" Akashi frowned, "You should feel relieved if you must know." Ami frowned "Why would I feel relieved? What you did was wrong!"

"I only pointed out something that needed to be looked at with closer detail," Akashi crossed his arms, "He is not as perfect as he wants to make you believe so snap out of his charms already! Open your eyes and realize the truth! Just because you two have a thing together does not mean he is an eminence in medicine."

Ami widened her eyes with anger, "I can't believe what you are saying—we do not have a thing together—we have known each other for years! He's like a big brother to me, what is wrong with you?!"

"Please, don't come with that," Akashi grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him brusquely, "Satomura-san, what the hell is wrong with you!? Let me go!"

"Are you really going to convince me there's nothing going on between the two of you?!" he frowned, "Who are you trying to fool?! You think I haven't noticed the way to speak to each other without a respectful honorific? Just when are you going to admit it? Huh!? You are infatuated with him just like every single nurse in this damn hospital..." Ami tried to break free from his grasp and glared at him with anger, "I don't care if you believe me or not—that's your problem, not mine."

"Like if I ever going to believe tha—"

"Ami,"

Both Ami and Akashi turned to Zoisite who was walking towards them with his hands inside his jacket's pockets, "Zoisite..." Ami widened her eyes very much surprised to see him there "W-What..."

The blonde stopped in front of her and saw her wrist summited under Akashi's strong grip, "What is this about?" he narrowed his emerald eyes with disgust and slapped his hand away, "This is no way to treat a lady," he turned to Akashi who was looking back at the blonde with surprise, "W-Who the hell are you!?"

"I asked you a question first and I demand an answer—now." Zoisite frowned, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"I don't need to give any explanations to a complete stranger! Mind your own damn business!" Akashi turned to Ami and tried to grab her arm again but Zoisite grabbed his and sighed with growing annoyance, "Typical behavior of a primitive coward,"

Akashi twitched his eyes and groaned when he felt the pain caused by Zoisite's strong grasp. The blonde arched a brow as he looked at him, "I thought I made myself perfectly clear when I told you that was not the right way to treat a lady, must I say it differently or are you that stupid?"

"Hey! Back off asshole! This is a private conversation, just who the hell do you think you are?!" Akashi turned angrily and tried to push Zoisite away but the blonde moved away and pulled him back with force throwing him to the ground with little to no effort. Zoisite rolled his eyes at him, "Ugh, your language baffles me... it is disgusting," he arched his brow, "You really are stupid—the moment you raise your voice it automatically cancels its privacy but, since you are so eager to know who I am—I am Ami's partner."

Akashi's face went pale and looked up at Ami with a shocked expression, "Partner? As in—"

Ami blinked still very surprised by the sudden turn of events but she had to take this as an opportunity to free from him once and for all, "Yes, Satomura-san, as in boyfriend." she looked at him still on the ground with little to no sympathy. Akashi widened his eyes and shook his head, "B-But Chiba-san, w-what about him?!" Akashi still could not manage the shock ball thrown at him with the news given to him, "Chiba-san?" Zoisite narrowed his green eyes but it was then when he felt Ami's discreet nudge on his ribs hoping he would catch the clue of who the young doctor was talking about, "Ah—Mamoru,"

Ami turned surprised at the blonde by how well he played the charade and was more than thankful to him for being there at the precise time and so willing to help without causing an embarrassing scene, "As his brother—I do not appreciate you suggesting he is unfaithful to his wife."

Akashi's eyes went to size wider than before and shook his head in disbelief, "B-Brother?! Wait... he's married!?" he turned to Ami who crossed her arms, "Ah, but you know everything, right?"

The dry tone of her voice took Akashi by surprise and shook his head, still very much confused by everything, "I—I" his throat went dry and jumped back into his feet quickly trying to do some damage control and clean his already torn image, "Mizuno-san—I"

Ami took a step back from Akashi and shook her head "Let's leave things as they are, alright? There is no point in trying to justify anything... I am very disappointed to see how low some are willing to go just to hurt other people... I am over this, good night, Satomura-san." she shook her head and turned to leave; Zoisite, on the other hand, looked at him and arched a brow as he studied the young doctor up and down with a cold look, "I highly suggest you step down from that cloud of ego of yours and learn the importance of respect—grow some balls, you coward." his green eyes narrowed with anger, "Do not ever lay a finger on her again, or I swear you will regret it—mark my words."

Akashi felt the hostile vibe from Zoisite and stood there with wide eyes as he watched the couple walk away and wondered how he got the wrong idea in the first place. Now that he thought about it, she never mentioned a lover and she never mentioned she was in a relationship and with Chiba Mamoru's brother on top of it all but it made sense now, the closeness both doctors shared and why she said they had been friends for a very long time. Shamelessly, Akashi had no other option but to accept his mistake and swallow his pride as he walked back to the hospital to finish his shift.

O—o—O

A block later, Ami finally stopped and exhaled her anger and frustration, she felt her body trembling with bottled anger; she didn't like it—to be mad; the feeling of being angry was not for her, it always made her feel sick and tired and she hated it. She patted her cheeks to snap out of her moody cloud and soon realized she hadn't been alone the whole time, "Are you alright?" Her blue eyes widened when she heard him asking and turned to Zoisite who was standing just a few feet behind her, his face showing genuine concern "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ami blushed, immediately feeling ashamed of her rude behavior. She shook her head she put up her arms apologetically, "I'm so sorry—I normally don't react this way, it's just that—" Zoisite raised his hand to stop her "Please, I am glad I was able to be of some help."

Ami smiled but then she froze when things suddenly hit her "W-Where you...?" It was Zoisite's turn to be shy and blush, "I—I um... Mars gave me directions to how to get to the hospital... I honestly did not know you were there... I was just passing by,"

"Oh?" Ami arched her brow. The blonde put his hand inside his pants pockets trying his best to look casual "I—well, I just wanted to know how you were, since the wedding we have not had an opportunity to talk after you left,"

The ball of shyness was now on Ami's court, her delicate, slender fingers wrapped tight around her backpack strap. Ami felt flattered and surprised to see the general had gone through the trouble of looking for her without even knowing if he was going to even find her there, it was luck—fated luck.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Ami walked towards Zoisite and smiled at him. If things happened the way it did, it was probably because they needed to happen that way; she had to admit that she also had a great time with him at the wedding and that they shared more things in common than she ever imagined. After what happened minutes ago, she needed a friendly face and he was the friendliest face around, allergic or not allergic to love letters. He was there for her, and that was something important. Suddenly, all the words of encouragement and advice Motoki, Mamoru, and the girls had given her over the years regarding her social life finally came in handy as she took a leap of fate and did the unthinkable, "I-I was heading over to this tiny local ramen house—would you like to join me for dinner? I haven't eaten anything and I am famished—it has been a very long day."

Zoisite widened his green eyes with surprise and nodded with the most adorable blush on his cheeks, Ami smiled in the most charming way and giggled as she turned on her heel, "Good."

O—o—o—o—O

The clicking sound of heels on marble floors caught the attention of the blonde man looking into the night sky. Ares turned and saw Eris walking towards him, his grey eyes darkened as his body stiffened the minute he laid eyes on her. The dark-haired goddess stopped at a reasonable distance but remained silent.

"What are you doing here?" Ares frowned.

Eris arched her brow "Your question baffles me,"

"And I am baffled by your presence. You do not live here anymore," Ares snorted, his voice turned cold, "I thought I made myself perfectly clear—what do you want?"

Eris hummed as she walked around the large library, her fingers absently caressed each and every book strategically placed on the long and sturdy shelves in his study, "Always so studied, so strong—but vicious when the God of War is ordered to follow his duties."

"What do you want Eris?"

"I heard what you are trying to do," Eris turned to look over her shoulder at her husband and narrowed her plum-colored eyes, "And I must say... it is a very ambitious plan of yours." she sighed softly, "Your reputation is at stake, you are risking everything for a lost cause... you still have not learned."

Ares gave her the coldest of glares, "Since when do you care about my reputation?"

Eris snickered and brushed her deep red tainted lips with her fingers "I do care," she arched her brow, "Believe it or not—what we have—"

"What we have?" Ares sarcastic chuckles interrupted her, "We have nothing Eris, whatever sentiment that existed between us died a long time ago." Eris arched her brow, "You may have used me for your own benefit—but I do care for you."

"My own benefit?" Ares narrowed his eyes, "What benefit could I possibly get from being with you?" Eris clenched her jaw at his snarky comment, "You made me give birth to a child I did not want or have you forgotten?"

Ares shook his head, "You seem to forget that it was not a problem for you until you learned the baby we were expecting turned out to be a girl, after that, you tried to put your pregnancy in danger one too many times. Oh, Eris, you say it like I took advantage of you but you tend to forget why we got married in the first place, keep Mars out of this."

"We got married because you were lonely and you did not want to lose your pride and honor and because you wanted to keep an image with your brothers—" Eris crossed her arms, Ares arched a brow "You want to talk about the past, my dear? Very well... let's." He turned and walked closer to her, "Remember where we used to meet and remember why? You were tired of living in a limbo between the Underworld and this realm. You were lonely too Eris, and you also had needs... when I proposed to you I put the cards on the table... I was clear from the very beginning and you accepted it, it was your stupid jealousy what killed whatever good was between us,"

Eris frowned angrily, "No! It was because you were always loving the wrong woman—Gaia, Mars, and I even dare to say you fell in love with Serenity too."

"You have lost your sanity, Mars is our daughter, of course, I love her. She is the only good that ever came from us." Ares looked at Eris with disbelief, "I am truly disgusted by your words... how can you be so jealous of your own daughter is beyond me,"

"You proclaim your love for her so openly and yet you let her die!" Eris arched her brow with defiance, "You sacrificed your own daughter for the sake of Serenity's weak ideals—how do you sleep at night, eh Ares? Knowing that every woman you have ever loved always end up wrapped up in tragedy."

"I do not know—you tell me."

Eris widened her eyes with rage; Ares frowned "Serenity was leading an Alliance that had to be protected—as the God of War I am in charge to supervise each and every single political treaty. You knew perfectly well she was also my good friend and nothing more, your mind has always been infected with unnecessary jealousy."

"I never asked to be tied with a child," Eris narrowed her plum-colored eyes "You fabricated this life with me so you could forget about that worthless traitor—and Serenity, well—she got what she deserved."

"Why are you here?! You keep repeating the same things—yet you do not see this was a two-way street!" Ares snarled with anger, "What the hell do you want from me?!"

"You and I are the same, Ares, we are both corrupted souls—that is the real reason why we ended up together." she walked closer to him, her eyes locked with his "You created a league of assassins. You helped create the assassin and for what I have heard, you are very protective of that other one that still lives somewhere around that cursed planet," she frowned, "What are you trying to achieve, huh? Do you want redemption? Do you want your soul to be pardoned for all the damage you have caused? You and every Polemarchos you have trained are condemned to go straight to hell once you fall, there is a special place for you there; your soul belongs to Hades."

As much as he tried to contain the anger accumulating inside of him, Eris had a special ability to make his blood boil with rage; closing the gap he moved quick like a beast ready to attack its prey and pinned her against the wall and pressed his shiny blade against her cold skin "You disgust me," he muttered dryly, "You dare to speak like if you had all the right to judge. Remember who you are Eris and remember your position—you were just another lost soul from a herd of shadows in the Underworld. You dare to compare yourself to divine beings from this realm and that is exactly where your anger lies because you know there is no point of comparison."

"I hate her because she stole you from me!"

Ares snickered "Oh dear, stole me from you? You never had me... we were together for our own amusement, to feed our lonely souls. Do not victimize yourself, not with me; you knew perfectly well what you were doing,"

What many tend to forget about Ares, is that despite his newly controlled character, a vicious, violent man lied beneath his quiet demeanor. Eris was right, he made a pact with Hades when he took his position as Polemarchos being his death at Hades' mercy, he knew there was a special place for him in hell because of his own battles, his own decisions and because he created a soldier like Chaos but that was something he made peace with, a long time ago.

Ares was hurtful and destructive, his own nature was based on revenge and ambition. He once was Helios' disciple and followed his training until he was prepared and old enough to challenge Zeus and earn his title and place in the divine world. Of all warrior gods, Ares was the most disconnected from his feelings when he had to kill, making him the perfect creation of fear and power, a living weapon to protect Olympus from disgrace and the gods' own mistakes. His title as God of War was earned fairly, one bloody murder at a time and Eris knew this perfectly well as a shadow goddess from the Underworld.

Ares and Eris had an on and off relationship over the years; no matter how much he tried to move on with his life, he was always pulled back into her arms and fed their carnal desire one too many times despite him knowing Gaia once had feelings for him. It was until the very moment he knew he had lost Gaia as his disciple and as his friend, he understood his fate was not meant to be with her, no matter how much he wanted it to happen. At that time, Eris was a shadow dealing with her own issues and waited impatiently for her moment to be acknowledged and welcomed as a goddess in Olympus, so when Ares proposed, she did not think it twice. They both gave themselves what they needed, and for a long time they cared for one another until the moment they learned they had conceived a female child, that is when things took a dark turn.

Unlike Eris, the very moment Ares held Mars in his arms for the first time, he understood Gaia's constant rebellion against the gods and Serenity's undying wish for peace in the universe for the sake of her child. The little piece of divinity in his arms was blood of his blood, flesh of his flesh—with a beauty impossible to match. His soul became hers, his eyes were now only just for her and he swore to lead her to a better path, a path as far away from his own as possible.

He liked to believe that Hestia allowed Mars to be conceived so she could balance the evil and ambition in the divine world. To him, it was natural to understand why she was chosen to be a sailor senshi making him feel like he was doing something good for once, he felt he was given a second chance to do the right thing. Unlike he did with every polemarchos he trained, he taught his child the values of being a loyal soldier of justice, one that would fight to do good and not just for the sake of being powerful, he taught her to be fair, loving, and benevolent without losing her focus on the task at hand; by the time she was ready, he personally asked Serenity to take her under her wing to keep her away from that dark and heavy dynasty that was put upon her shoulders.

"I accepted my faith the moment I was created. The moment I held a sword to kill—I accepted my loss with Gaia the moment she rebelled against us. My fight and that undying love you proclaim I had for her, it was all for my daughter—my daughter." His eyes darkened as he pressed his weapon deeper into her skin, "The only good part of me, the only one that owns my heart. I stopped caring for you the moment you cursed and threatened her life." he growled with rage, "You have hated every moment of her existence because it was your way to get back at me for something you brought to yourself with all the insecurity harbored inside your head. That is when you condemned yourself Eris, the moment you declared war to war itself."

Eris widened her eyes when she felt the sharp blade slowly cutting her cold flesh allowing a trickle of her blood run down her long neck. Ares moved his blade abruptly away and turned his back at her as he looked into his slightly tainted blade, "If you want to think of yourself as a vessel—that is not my problem," he turned to look over his shoulder at her "The fact will remain the same. You gave birth to my child—a being with the remains of good that were still nested in me. That is why you always felt jealous of her—because you knew you would never surpass her. You see Eris, she became what you always wanted to be and never could—a rightful goddess of Olympus."

Eris clenched her jaw with anger while looking at him "No!"

Ares wiped the blood from his blade with a clean cloth and threw it to her on his way out "Here. I do not want your venom—take it as a reminder of not to cross paths with me, ever again."

"You will ask for forgiveness Ares—you will regret everything you just said... mark my words..." Eris said between her clenched teeth, Ares did not bother to turn back at her, "Forgiveness?" he chuckled, "Do you even know the meaning of such word? Please..." his eyes darkened, "Get the hell out of my sight and never come back," Ares closed the door behind him, leaving Eris alone in the dark. Her hand slowly reached for her wound and looked at the small stain of blood still tainting her fingers and began breathing heavily, allowing her hatred take over her, "We will see, Ares, we will see..." she growled and quickly vanished from the palace and went straight to the place she knew was keeping most of Ares' interest.

O—o—O

At the top of a high building Eris stood and looked at the city lights below her feet with rage and disgust; the strong cold wind crashed against her alabaster skin as it played with her long, raven hair making it look like rabid flames of black fire consuming her, "We shall see who rots in hell first—Ares..." she narrowed her eyes and peered to her side, "I know you are here—"

Another spirit appeared right next to her, a woman with long dark hair just like Eris' but instead of wearing a gown, she was in a dark body suit wrapped in spiked chains that moved around her like hissing snakes, and long dark high-heeled boots that went all the way up to her tights. "I sensed you crossed into this realm," her black eyes looked at the blinking lights below them and turned to Eris. "So, you have come here to finally take the War God down, yes?"

"I want to see this planet rot to its demise—I want to destroy everything he has ever kept safe—do what you have to do to bring everything down," Eris narrowed her plum-colored eyes and turned to Asteria, the goddess of the nocturnal oracles and falling stars and one of Hades' servants. The dark woman was very skilled and proficient in every task entrusted to her and she was also in charge of guarding the gates of the Underworld. Her dark long nails played with the dark chains wrapped around her neck, "I can sense it, a strong energy—there are powerful Senshi on this planet..." her black smudged eyes narrowed, "I can also sense another wave of energy—different from the ones blessed by the planets... it is denser—darker, that means only one thing."

Eris quirked a brow, "And what about the Andromedian?"

Asteria's pale lips curved into a devilish smile "He is set to do other tasks—I must not compromise his own troubled mind for now. Let him believe whatever he likes as long as it keeps him at bay." Her slow, deep chuckles echoed as she summoned her power and stomped her spiked high heel against the concrete of the building allowing her own venomous energy spread like dark veins all over. "See how everything crumbles beneath your feet," she smirked with pleasure, "Death is coming—and there is nothing you can do about it." she narrowed her eyes,

"There is nothing you can do about it—Earth Protector."

Mamoru opened his eyes and gasped for air, he turned to look at a peaceful Usagi sleeping next to him and frowned as he brought a hand to his chest. "Those words again..." he muttered and ran a hand through his hair several times. He got up from the bed and walked towards the balcony to look outside and felt the pain in his chest only intensified with every step he took closer to the rail and took a deep, forced breath.

"Mamo-chan?"

Usagi's softly and still groggy voice startled him and he turned to look at her standing by the door with the silky bedsheet wrapped around her body; her pale blonde hair was loose and disheveled but she still managed to look like the true goddess she was. "Usako..." he muttered softly, Usagi rubbed eyes and frowned softly, "What time is it? Is it morning yet?"

Mamoru smiled and shook his head, "Far from it—"

"Then what are you doing up?" Usagi tried to adjust her eyes to the light from the moon outside "It's cold..."

Mamoru looked at her sadly, it was unfair this was happening during their honeymoon. It was unfair that she had to be involved in something he felt responsible for causing. He walked back and ran his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, "I'm sorry for waking you up,"

Usagi pulled the sheet up to cover herself and snuggled against his bare chest "It's okay... but... why are you up?"

Mamoru pressed his lips together, he did not want to let her know the real reason, not now... not at this particular time. He did not want to disrupt the moment they were having for themselves, a moment they have waited for so long, "I was thirsty."

Usagi hummed in response, still trapped in the effects of sleep, "Come back to bed—I can't sleep if you are not there..."

Mamoru smiled at her weak attempt to pull him with her and turned to close the balcony doors, mentally praying for the Shitennou to be alert for anything that could come up.

"Be safe brothers, please be safe."

O—o—o—o—O

Zoisite stared at the menu partly confused about the dishes served; Ami had chosen the usual table she takes whenever she went to have a meal in peace, the one in the far corner. She looked over her menu at the blonde man in front of her and blushed softly as she finally allowed herself to really admire his handsome face. Giggling, she put her menu aside and ordered for the both of them, then once the waitress left she turned to the blonde, "Have you ever ate ramen before?"

Zoisite blinked and looked up at her "N-No, not really."

Ami widened her eyes "Ah," his lack of knowledge concerning noodles made perfect sense since it was probably they did not eat back at the terran palace. "They're very tasty," she smiled "I have a feeling that you are going to like it."

Zoisite's smile curved more prominently on one side, Ami noticed this little trait and found it adorable. "Do you visit this place regularly?" Ami heard him ask as she leaned back in her chair and nodded, "I do, yes—but mostly when my days at the hospital are more hectic than usual. There is something about having a hearty bowl of noodles that makes all the stress go away—something sandwiches no longer accomplished." Her fingers played with the paper wrap of her straw, "I want to thank you, for helping me back there,"

Zoisite's face darkened, "I wonder what happened to society to turn men so disrespectful towards women," he sighed and shook his head, "You do not have to thank me, Ballerina, I am just glad I was there to help,"

Ami was surprised to hear the old nickname he had for her, "I suppose you want to know who that was..."

Zoisite crossed his arms on the table, "He is an intern at the hospital and the one that has put Endymion under a very delicate situation at work." Ami widened her eyes, "W-What? How do you...?"

"Endymion told us," Zoisite arched his brow, "But your reaction just confirmed it, indeed that is him," he frowned "What I do not understand is why were you letting him act that way towards you."

"He was upset," Ami muttered, Zoisite arched his brow "So?" he sighed, "Ballerina, if you have any romantic feelings towards that man I am no one to judge but what I can do, is to give you a piece of advice—a man that treats a lady that way is not worthy of your time." Ami blushed and shook her head, "I-I do not have romantic feelings for him,"

"Your face back there told me otherwise," Zoisite looked at her, "I only ask you to be more careful—after all, you are a Senshi, you are not one to be taking reckless decisions just to comply with what you think you should be doing or what society, in general, tells you to do."

Ami felt her hear halt in her chest for a minute, it was as if the man in front of her was describing exactly what had been going through her mind for a long time now. He was right, she was being pressured and she was tired of it; the constant whispers of the nurses talking about how she was always so serious when somebody mentioned some sort of romantic tale.

For a moment she did consider Akashi to be more than just her friend and she could sense he was feeling the same towards her, maybe he still did but his sudden outburst and his actions towards Mamoru and now Zoisite's comment made her think otherwise. He was not the man for her and maybe just like the blonde said, she was pursuing that thought because she thought it was time for her to date someone and what better than a man that could totally understand her career and her crazy schedules but she forgot about an important part of her along the way—her senshi side.

The waitress came back with two large bowls of soba noodles with tofu and an extra portion of vegetables. Ami felt relieved for being brought back from her train of thought "Enjoy." The waitress smiled and turned to leave. Zoisite looked at the bowl with wide eyes, making Ami giggle with endearment, "You look—"

"Surprised?" Zoisite mumbled, Ami chuckled and shook her head, "Terrified." she leaned forward and grabbed the two chopsticks and handed them to him, "Look, you have to take the chopsticks like this." Zoisite looked at her in silence while she explained the rather interesting process of eating the eye-catching dish. A minute later of studying the movements he nailed the handling like a professional, surprising Ami in the process "Easy, right?"

Zoisite took a slurp of his noodles and widened her eyes, Ami giggled "I told you, you were going to like it."

"This is delicious," Zoisite looked down at his bowl "What is it called again?"

"Soba noodle soup with tofu and vegetables," Ami took a bite of a carrot, "I always ask for extra vegetables because, well—it's good for you."

"I could eat this every day." They both said at the same time, surprising each other. Zoisite smiled and looked down at his bowl "I will have to learn how to cook this—although, I do not think the others will appreciate eating this every day."

"What do you mean?" Ami slurped a long noodle softly; Zoisite looked at her and tilted his head, "We moved from Sailor Mars' shrine."

"What?" Ami widened her eyes "W-When?"

"This afternoon," Zoisite took another bite of tofu while Ami frowned, still very surprised and confused, "B-But why?"

Zoisite savored the hearty flavor of the broth and cleaned the sides of his lips "Sailor Uranus offered Kunzite a place for us to stay—we came to the conclusion that we have to continue living our lives, one step at a time. We all were meant to have a life in this era but—well, Beryl found us first... the rest is history."

"This is unexpected..." Ami said softly "And what will happen next? I mean..." she trailed off, still trying to understand the situation. Zoisite chuckled, "Do not look so surprised Mercury, we may have gone for a long time but we know how to survive—after all, we were trained to do so."

"Is that all?" Ami fidgeted in her seat, "The reason you moved away?"

Zoisite paused from continuing eating his soup and sighed softly "We have a mission we have to follow. We must look for Endymion's safety and while we do that—we have to make our way into society."

"Are you saying we're in danger?" Ami asked bluntly, "Is that why you are here?"

Zoisite put his chopsticks down and cleaned his chin once again, "We are probably heading towards battle, yes, Mercury—we are not certain of what lies ahead of us but—"

A scream startled both Zoisite and Ami and turned to see a woman in evident pain just outside the small noodle shop. The doctor in her made her react immediately and ran to her aid, the blonde followed behind as he tried to control the woman who was now having a serious panic attack. It did not pass more than a minute when another man in the distance began acting the same way and just like a chain of reacting all the people around him began attacking at each other in a massive act of brutal insanity, "What is happening?!" Ami asked, frustrated for not being able to find a reasonable explanation for the situation.

"They're possessed—it's that same poisonous energy taking over them," Zoisite muttered and pulled the bluenette out of one man's hostile grasp. Ami blushed as she felt herself crash into his warm chest "You need to transform," he said with urgency "You need to stop them!" Ami looked up and shook her head "B-But how...?"

Zoisite turned to the people inside the restaurant watch with terror at the situation unfolding outside and went to block the entrance, "If I attack I can kill them," he kicked another possessed man running towards him. Ami widened her eyes but Zoisite turned with urgency at her "Now, Mercury!"

Ami raised her hand and summoned for her power "Mercury Star Power Make—Up!"

Blue energy like waves of water engulfed her as she transformed into a senshi, once again to fight against evil. She turned to Zoisite who summoned for his own celestial power granted to him and changed into his grey shitennou military uniform with green lining. He quickly turned and saw the people who were possessed had morphed into the same, rotten shadows from the day Endymion awoke. "They are eating their souls—" he frowned and extended his hand blasting several spheres of energy at them to knock them down, "Zoi!" then formed a long spear made of ice crystals "But if I attack, they can die!"

Mercury turned and put her goggles to study the bodies "Not all of them are human—they're shadows. The core is in their heads! Aim to their heads, Zoisite!" she extended her hands and called for her power, "Mercury—Aqua Mist!"

Zoisite narrowed his eyes, immediately understanding the command and ran towards one of the heard of shadows spreading in front of him and pierced their forehead with the sharp point of his cold spear and blasted another shot of energy, disintegrating them and releasing the body from their dark possession.

Asteria looked at the general and narrowed her eyes with displeasure, with a flick of her hand all the people still awake and witnessing the events around them fell unconscious; Zoisite looked up and frowned, Mercury joined him seconds after "You are the responsible for this..." The shitennou looked at her with daring eyes at the woman in the black leather bodysuit with chains all around her. Mercury widened her eyes with anger, "Who are you?!"

"Hermes' offspring—interesting..." Asteria arched a brow as she tapped one of her claw-like nails on her chin, "That is why there is such power flowing in this rural planet," The black goddess clicked her tongue and fixed her gaze on the man standing next to Mercury "You—you hold another kind of power," her eyes narrowed in thought, "Celestial Power—I see..."

Zoisite glared at her, "Who are you?! What do you want!?"

Asteria arched her brow, "Where is the Protector?"

Both Mercury and Zoisite widened their eyes "Protector?"

"The Protector of this planet—where is it?"

"We are its Protectors," Mercury frowned at the woman; Asteria's emotionless face stared at them, "You are not remotely close," she slowly descended and stood at a short distance away from both soldiers and grabbed the wiggling chain around her waist and quickly wrapped it around Mercury's waist; Zoisite widened his eyes in horror at the superhuman speed from the woman in black and ran towards her to help her, "Mercury!"

Asteria raised her chain and left Mercury suspended in the air, "I am not going to ask you again—where is it!?"

"Release her!" Zoisite ran towards her and blasted her several sets of energy bombs but to his surprise, she avoided every single attack with incredible ease. "I am not one to play games with," she frowned and pulled the chain around Mercury down, throwing her with great force against the asphalt.

"Mercury!" Zoisite widened his eyes in horror and kneeled next to her "Mercury—look at me!" He turned to Asteria with rage in his beautiful green eyes making Asteria smirk with pleasure and whipped her chain back and let it coil around her waist like a living snake, "Tell the Protector that I am not the kind who likes to play games,"

Zoisite blasted another energy attack, which the black goddess evaded with amazing speed with the help of her chains, "Do you want to know how do I know you are not the Protector?" she grabbed her chain once again and moved it at an incredible speed towards the Shitennou. Zoisite reacted quickly and barely evaded the chain coming his way but widened his eyes once she saw her standing behind him and wrapped her chain around his chest before repeating the same technique she performed on Mercury and threw him against the asphalt with brutal force; Mercury turned her head and looked at a wounded Zoisite a few feet away from her with panic, "Z-Zoi—site..."

Asteria walked towards the fallen general and stepped into his hand, making him flinch in pain, "This is the difference between a soldier and a polemarchos—your power is worthless against mine, divine or not." she kneeled in front of him and grabbed him by his long ponytail, "I am hoping a decent fight next time I come, tell that to the hybrid," she stomped her heel on the ground again and vanished into thin air.

Zoisite coughed some blood and slowly dragged himself closer to the water senshi, "Mercury..." he kneeled next to her and ran his arms around her, "Mercury," he called for her again, this time with more anguish in his voice. Mercury slowly opened her eyes, letting him know she was coming back to her senses "Z-Zoisite..." she whispered and looked up; "I need to take you to the hospital," Zoisite looked for her phone but was stopped by her hand over his "N-No..." she coughed softly and slowly pushed herself back up, "I'm alright..."

"You are not alright!" Zoisite said with horror, Mercury reached for his face and wiped the blood running from the corner of his lip "You are hurt too—"

"Come on, I will take you get medical help..."

"No," she insisted, "I just need to rest for a while..." she turned to look around her and saw everyone fainted but Zoisite answered for her, "They're unconscious, the malice left them the moment she disappeared—but they need to get medical assistance as well."

Mercury reached for her phone and dialed the emergency number and after giving the exact direction of the events she asked the general to follow her to her apartment. Zoisite took a deep breath and understood that just like him, she did not want to be taken as a victim and had no other option but to comply with her request. He helped her stand and wrapped her arm around his neck and carried her belongings before disappearing into the muffled sounds of the ambulances coming their way.

AN: This week has gone really fast! Alright, dear readers... here goes another chapter. Let me know if you liked it and help me keep this story alive because I'm close to giving up! I am honestly enjoying writing all these chapters but it takes a lot of heart, time and effort. I am truly sad because I just found out another fellow writer has shut down her story because nobody was reading it, or at least, that she thought. It was a good story, but now it's gone... it truly saddens me. I speak not just for me, but for all my fellow writers... please, give us a little push. We all need it.

I really value and want to thank those who have stayed with me since the very beginning of this story, and my previous ones too. You know who you are and I will always try to answer you back. Thank you and enjoy!

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