Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Thirty-Five

Jadeite sighed as he slouched on the fancy leather couch in the living room of their new place with disinterest; he has not been his usual playful self since they left the shrine and it has started to reflect in his mood. Kunzite turned and looked at his emotionally defeated friend and felt bad for the poor man because he knew the real reason for his odd behavior.

Nephrite walked out of the kitchen and put a glass of water on the coffee table and sat on the floor in Buddha style. "Do you know where Zoisite went?" he asked with evident worry in his voice. Kunzite arched his brow "He went out to look for Mercury, why?" The brown haired man rubbed his temples and sighed, "I feel a strong energy," he frowned, "It is unusual—unsettling,"

Kunzite frowned and sat across from the chestnut-haired man but instead of the floor he chose the couch, "I feel the same thing—like a distortion but I cannot place an explanation or an exact location."

"Did you find anything new concerning Endymion's request?"

"Some—not much," Kunzite shook his head, "This whole discovery matter is still kept behind closed doors but maybe this energy is linked to this matter. Venus showed me some papers with articles about it but there is still not too much to find, not until they show to the public this famous exhibition."

"Is that where you were last night?" Jadeite moved the cushion pillow away from his face and looked at the white-haired man with surprise, "You finally managed to talk to her?" Kunzite frowned, "I do not know what bothers me the most Jadeite, you asking me where I have been like an angry mother to her child or the fact that you said 'managed'." Nephrite opened one eye and looked at his leader and big brother, "Well, did you?" Kunzite sighed heavily, "Yes—I managed," he turned to Jadeite and raised his hand stopping any further comments from him, "Yes—I was with her."

"So, this means that you two are together?" Nephrite looked at Kunzite with curiosity. Kunzite leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms. He noticed Jadeite put the cushion over his head once again, "What has gotten into you?"

"Nothing." Jadeite's muffled voice startled both men. Kunzite turned to Nephrite and try to give Jadeite some space, "Have the stars said anything yet?" Nephrite shook his head "I will try to establish a connection tonight—it has been confusing... their silence troubles me."

"We must be prepared for anything," Kunzite exhaled "And we must keep everything under control—I do not want to call Endymion and ask him to come back in the middle of his wedding travels,"

All three men were startled to hear the phone ringing, Nephrite taking the initiative pushed himself from the floor and went to answer the call "Yes?"

"What?"

There was something in the tone of Nephrite's voice that made the two shitennou look into his direction, Jadeite sat on the couch and frowned then turned to Kunzite "Who could that be?" Kunzite shook his head confused and now worried as he continued to listen to his friend's hurried conversation "Give me an address and we will be on our way." Nephrite scribbled down some things on a paper napkin and frowned "Right—we will be there shortly, thank you, Mercury."

"Mercury?" Jadeite frowned, Nephrite pressed his lips together and turned to Kunzite and Jadeite "Something happened—Zoisite is gravely injured."

O—o—O

Ami hung up her phone and turned to put some clean bandages around Zoisite's badly bruised and blooded chest because of the cuts and scrapes. As soon as they got to Ami's apartment she treated the cuts on his arms and help him lay on the couch to rest; she realized the blonde man had taken much more damage once she had to unbutton his pale green shirt to check his injuries but it did surprise her his endurance and how he was taking this with calm and self-control, "There are no signs of internal damage—that's good, but you still need to lay still."

Zoisite winced when he felt Ami's hand touching an injury on his side and gritted his teeth when he felt the stitches. Ami looked at him and bit her lower lip "I'm sorry—I know it hurts but it has to be done to help the wound close faster,"

"I can handle it—do not worry," Zoisite mumbled, his green eyes never looking for her blue ones like he usually did. Ami pulled back and looked at him with concern "Zoisite..." The blonde man turned and saw a swollen bruise on Ami's arm, "Mercury—your arm."

Ami looked at it "Oh—it's just a," her eyes widened when she saw Zoisite get the ointment she just put on his wounds and treated her injury with incredible delicacy and a feathery touch, "I ask for your forgiveness," she heard him mutter; Ami blinked, startled by sudden choice of words "W-Why are you apologizing?"

"I should have been more alert—I should have protected you."

Ami looked down at his hands weaving the bandage around her arm with precision and extreme care, "But you did—if it wasn't for you I would be dead," she looked at him "You fought..." she widened her eyes and blushed "...For me..."

Zoisite tied the bandage with the small metal clasp and looked at her; he did not need to say anything else to state the obvious. He cared for her, he cared for her very much. Ami tightened her lips and realized that despite the distance that had been separating them for years, they still shared the same interest for each other. They still cared for each other and even when nothing really happened back then, his courtesy and his evident interest made her come to terms with destiny. His previous words made sense now, what she was looking for a partner she knew it was very difficult to find in other people but Zoisite had it: the understanding, the support, and the caring she needed, Zoisite was offering them to her without asking for anything back.

Her hand slowly reached for his, dissipating any remaining shyness sabotaging her feelings and tightened her grip on his fingers, Zoisite looked at her wide-eyed "Mercury..."

Ami smiled softly "We all have been living our lives the way we have wanted to. We have made good and terrible decisions along the way and we have met people," she looked at him sadly "People that either has made us feel special or that have broken our hearts. We have followed our dreams but somehow, we forgot that we are also people attached to a very significant past, a past that cannot be pushed aside to be ignored or forgotten. We only migrated from one era to this one; at first, I wondered if you were here just to accomplish a mission but then I realized it is so much more than that—you are guiding us to be greater than ever before."

Zoisite's hand cupped her cheek, making her turn to look at him. There it was again, that same side smile that made her blush and feel tiny butterflies in her stomach, "You are one marvelous woman Mercury, and if I must remind it to every day—I am willing to do so for as long as you allow me to."

Ami smiled and leaned her head down, nodding in the process. Her wounds suddenly stopped hurting and felt she could face anything with him by her side; the way they both worked together to fight against the enemy it felt right. Like it should have been since the very beginning; she cursed Beryl mentally for having taken that opportunity from them. She felt his lips kissing her forehead and his free arm pulling her in a warm, protective embrace, "Lean on me Mercury—every fear, every doubt—I will be your support."

Ami smiled and closed her eyes as she enjoyed their little romantic moment when a sudden knock on the door interrupted them, both knowing who was behind its desperate pounds; Ami looked up at Zoisite and tucked a strand of his lose blonde hair behind his ear and smiled at him, "Come in!" she said out loud and saw a very worried Kunzite walk inside in a hurry, followed by Jadeite and Nephrite who closed the door behind him. Jadeite widened his eyes when he saw Zoisite bandaged around his head, chest, and arms and shook his head frantically "What the hell happened?!"

Ami stood up, her hand slowly leaving his and sat on another small sofa across from him to let Jadeite sit next to his friend and brother. Kunzite turned to Ami and frowned "Are you alright? Is there something we can do?" Ami smiled softly at the general and shook her head "I'm alright... I already took care of his wounds."

"What happened? Kunzite narrowed his eyes, "Who did this to you?! Was it the same man than before!?"

"She never revealed her identity," Zoisite muttered from the couch, catching the general's attention "She?" Jadeite frowned. Zoisite sighed and flinched as he tried to readjust his position on the couch and nodded, "Yes, and she cursed the area we were in," he preferred to ignore Jadeite's question and proceeded to explain the events "It happened again, the bodies—the shadows."

"We attacked right away to counteract the effects of the poison in the ambient—but this soldier appeared and challenged Zoisite," Ami joined the conversation. "Soldier?" Jadeite turned over his shoulder at Ami, "Sailor Senshi?"

"She didn't look like one—she didn't portray herself as one..." Ami said softly. Kunzite frowned and sighed, taking his role as leader of the shitennou "We need to let the other girls know," he turned to Ami "We need to start preparing,"

"For what exactly?" Jadeite narrowed his eyes "We do not even know who this woman soldier is,"

Kunzite crossed his arms "That is where your strategic abilities come into play—we need a plan and you're the expert one," Jadeite arched his brow, "This is Point D all over again,"

Ami frowned "Point D? Beryl's hideout?"

Zoisite turned to Ami "Back then, it was a poisonous place close to Elysion. We named it Point D because it was the last place we marked on the map as a suspicious place to isolate—with time, the name got stuck and that is how we referred to it every time something happened closed to that place," he frowned, "We later learned that Metallia was encased inside—that is where all of our problems began."

"So, could it be happening all over again?" Ami frowned. Nephrite leaned on the wall with his arms crossed "We are not certain who is the author of all these erratic attacks but there is a strange energy lingering in the air."

"It's best to include the girls into this matter—Mercury has been compromised, they're coming for all of us." Jadeite looked at the bluenette "It is time for us guardians to start working together." Ami nodded and looked at her phone and dialed a number, "Hi... no... I need you to come to my apartment. It's important and urgent—something happened and we need to alert everyone,"

"What is it Ami-chan?" Minako's voice echoed at the end of the call, Ami looked at the Shitennou and bit her lip "We have been attacked."

O—o—O

Hotaru was sitting on her bed, reading a book when she suddenly felt a strong sharp pain in her chest. She brought her hand to rub the skin but it lingered and pulsated in a familiar rhythm. The always so quiet Hotaru looked out the window and looked at the night sky "The stars are disrupted—they are being corrupted." she mumbled and closed her eyes. The symbol of Saturn gleamed on her forehead when she felt a strong pull in her chest and a deep voice echoed in her mind,

"My daugther—"

Her deep violet eyes opened and breathed out the words flowing through her spiritual connection:

"A time for revolution is approaching... time to lay down your glaive once again,"

"...Retrieve its soul, Saturn... before it is too late..."

Hotaru gasped for air and lost connection to whom she knew, "Oh Father..." her deep violet eyes began to shine with tears, "What have you done?"

Michiru entered the young girl's room to let her know dinner was ready to be served when she saw Hotaru crying while looking out the window "H-Hotaru?" she walked towards her and wiped a tear rolling down her cheek, "What happened? Why are you crying?" The young senshi of silence looked up at the moon in the sky, "We must rise again,"

"You saw something?"

Hotaru turned to look at Michiru, "I am being summoned," Michiru widened her eyes "W-What?"

"I feel a distortion, a strange connection between this realm and the one from the Underworld. I cannot explain why or how is it even possible—but my spirit is connected to Hades' and he warned me... he is calling for me..." Hotaru looked out the window again and narrowed her eyes, "The stars are being corrupted..."

"Michiru!" Haruka's voice startled both women and walked to the living room where the sandy blonde was watching the news with Setsuna and a very frightened Megumi. "What is it?" Michiru asked with worry.

Haruka turned to volume up, so both Neptune and Saturn can hear the anchor speaking while many images flashed through the television screen.

"Just a few hours ago, there was been an incident on the west side of Juuban—many people have been found unconscious and it is believed it is caused by a new virus disease that causes panic among the infected, samples have been taken and are now under investigation but what it is more disturbing are the series that caused the outbreak. The following footage might be disturbing for some audiences so we ask for discretion in case there are children or susceptible people at home before you continue watching this broadcast,"

A short footage taken with a phone showed many people screaming in evident pain, distorting their faces as if being possessed by something evil. Some of them started bleeding and attacking others. The screams and cries for help soon fused into just loud growls and high pitched screaming, and in the distance a shadowed figured was captured before the image losing all definition and becoming black.

"We ask the citizens to remain calm and allow authorities do the necessary to investigate into this matter, keep the area clear, it is still contaminated with this poisonous fog—a terrorist attack might be under consideration, but the police are investigating all variable causes that might have triggered this attack. We recommend you to stay at home unless necessary. We have reports of similar events happened last month with people showing on the verge of insanity and nervous breakdowns to clinics and hospitals. Experts in the medical field are cataloging this as a disease that affects the central nervous system in our bodies, resulting in self destruction and we have been informed that since the origins of this disease is yet unknown, it is very dangerous and life-threatening and it does not exclude any age—more on this, after the break—"

Megumi gasped for air as she watched with horror at the images playing before her; Haruka immediately turned off the t.v. and turned to a highly disturbed Hotaru staring blankly at the screen. "Hotaru?" she asked, Hotaru covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head "That is why my services are being required then,"

Michiru turned to grab her mirror and looked into it for a couple of minutes and saw the image of a woman in black appeared in a fraction of a second and frowned, "Who was that?"

Megumi turned to look at the girl with wide eyes, recognizing those words. Setsuna summoned for her rod and looked at the garnet stone, "The Gates of Time and Space are closed but the energy is evident... something is trying to cross."

Hotaru narrowed her eyes when she began remembering her life at the palace that connected to the underworld. Since birth she was taken care by external people, separating her from Persephone, her mother, from a very young age; being that the sole reason for her early awakening as senshi of death, "I don't understand..." she muttered softly, "She is the gatekeeper of the Underworld, why is she here?"

"The gatekeeper?" Haruka frowned when she heard an alert on her phone and turned to the others, "We must go," she went to look for her keys, startling the rest "Where?" Setsuna frowned. Haruka turned as she walked to the front door with hurry, "Ami was involved in the attack."

O—o—o—o—O

Minako walked into the living room with a cup of tea and handed it to Ami who smiled with gratitude and took a small, delicate sip "Thank you Minako-chan."

With a sigh, the blonde she sat next to Ami on the couch and rubbed her temples, "I just let Haruka and the rest know about this—I wonder if they have another piece of information we are missing." she bit her lower lip "It just doesn't make sense—who are they? And what do they want?"

"Their attacks have been sporadic and unpredictable—" Rei said softly and turned to Ami "But you say Athamas was not responsible this time," Ami shook her head "No," she put the cup down, "It was a woman."

"A Senshi then," Makoto said from her place in the back. Zoisite looked up at her "She did not call herself a Senshi." Makoto frowned and pursed her lips in thought "Did she say anything when you fought her?"

Zoisite leaned back and flinched, "She was on a hunt—she did not kill us on purpose."

"What do you mean?" Jadeite narrowed his green eyes, Zoisite turned "She is searching for the Protector of this planet—" the ashy blonde's jaw tightened, "...She will return and things will not have the same result."

All eyes in the room widened "The Protector—she wants Usagi-chan." Luna said with worry and turned to Artemis who was shaking his head. Kunzite crossed his arms "The Lunar Princess is not the Protector of this planet—not the rightful one." he looked at the black cat who widened her eyes with shock.

"Usagi-chan is the one who can manage the silver crystal..." Makoto said, Nephrite hung his head low and closed his eyes, "The stars cannot tell me what is happening—I cannot establish any connection with them, this is more serious than we all thought."

"So who is this woman then? I thought Athamas was responsible for all this?" Minako frowned "Did she say her name?"

Ami rubbed her bruised arm and shook her head in denial "Her voice was so cold and low... she is very strong. Her body had chains, crawling and hissing like living snakes," she looked at her blonde friend, "Her presence was poisonous,"

"So it is her, after all."

All eyes turned to Hotaru who standing at the door with the outer senshi. "H-Hotaru chan!" Minako widened her eyes; Ami looked at the senshi of silence with terror in her eyes and felt a cold chill down her spine. The young silent maiden walked inside, immediately imposing her strong presence on everyone in the room. The shitennou had not had the opportunity to meet her properly the day Endymion awoke and since then they had had no real opportunity to talk to her, all they knew was that in fact, she was a sailor senshi too and a very strong one—the energy they felt coming from her was enough to make it clear. Her dark colored eyes landed on Kunzite, "The Heavenly Guardians of the Terran Prince. I heard about you when your souls were captured by Metallia and brought you back to this era to serve her and fight in her name—after your fall, you have been granted to live among the souls in Purgatorio and your spirit was preserved and protected by a High Priest."

Jadeite widened his green eyes in shock "H-How do you know that?"

Hotaru turned to Jadeite who was sitting next to Zoisite on the couch, "I have a different jurisdiction than the ones the inner Sailor Senshi and even Outer Senshi have—I was given another kind of power. My presence here is a miracle granted by Princess Serenity, but in reality, I should be asleep as I am the soldier who brings death—the soldier of silence, Sailor Saturn."

"The soldier of silence..." Nephrite muttered, startling Jupiter by his sudden change of tone. Hotaru looked at everyone in the room until her eyes landed on Ami "The woman you fought—it is indeed a soldier but she is not a Senshi. Asteria is the Goddess of the nocturnal oracles and fallen stars. She is currently one of the Gatekeepers of the Underworld and one of Father's many faithful servants." Her dark violet eyes narrowed, "She is never to cross to this realm and she retrieves the souls that wander in Lethe's river and send them to either Inferno or Tartarus—her jurisdiction is to keep those gates close."

"Then why is she here?" Ami shook her head, Hotaru felt a cold chill down her back "My calling is no casualty then—" Kunzite noted the somberness behind her words and frowned with concern, "What do you mean?"

Hotaru turned to the white-haired general, "Asteria has strong power. She is strong enough to match her power to one of a Sailor Senshi and even a Polemarchos because of her true origins, but, she was never chosen as one."

"True origins?" Jadeite frowned, Haruka sighed interrupting the moment, "How could a presence as strong as hers have gone unnoticed, we still do not know—but it is part of our jurisdiction to fight it as Outer Senshi." She turned to Minako and then at Kunzite, "We need to annihilate her and her minions to keep our Princess from any harm."

"We need to contact Endymion, we need to—"

"No."

Jadeite turned wide-eyed at Kunzite, "What?"

"I know Endymion is already aware of what just happened but he will not return at this very moment to precisely keep the Princess away from havoc." Kunzite turned to Saturn and the outer senshi "As his right hand and First in Command of the Shitennou—I will take his place while he is absent. Our jurisdiction is to protect the Guardian—the one Asteria is really after." he narrowed his grey eyes "This is her way to send the message, she is aware Endymion has been woken,"

Luna turned to Kunzite "But—Usagi-chan," Artemis turned to look at her "The Celestial Guardian is right Luna, Usagi is indeed in the line of fire but it is not her who they are really after. She is the Princess of the Moon and while she has protected this planet for many years... she was not born to be crowned heir of this planet—she is not the soldier of Earth."

"My talisman has not yet reacted—they are not here physically, but they are watching. What happened tonight is proof of that." Michiru looked in her mirror.

"I knew this could be a problem—I knew her life would be in danger the moment he awoke." Haruka muttered and crossed her arms "Our Princess will not want to surrender to this."

"He can fight her—this Goddess."

All eyes landed on Megumi, who had been absent of any comment until now. Her brown eyes could not hide the terror lurking in them but her voice was determinant. She turned to all in the room and nodded with conviction "I know he can—I am a witness to it."

"We are not certain if the Prince has fully awakened to his powers, at this point, he might be in the same level he was during the Silver Millennium." Setsuna said, "There is a reason why the gods have been trying to keep him away from the divine realm and lock him away—they do not want him to be in full control of his powers." she turned to Megumi, "You are witness to what can happen with only just one fraction of that power used—that is not his full strength."

"Being the heir to the power of a divine crystal is a double-edged sword—it grants great power but also requires sacrifice from its carrier, with Princess Serenity is death, but we don't know the Golden Crystal's demands, it could be much more somber despite being a stone with sacred powers aimed to be used for protection—it can cause massive destruction if fallen into the wrong hands." Hotaru said softly, "That is why they call him a monster."

"So, we must separate them..." Haruka frowned, "Is that what you are telling us? Is this how things go? In the end, they are really not supposed to be together..."

"Endymion is not a monster," Kunzite said in a warning tone, "You can say whatever you want but he was trained differently."

"He was given the training of a Polemarchos—he may have trained with you in the past, but he was taught other things by a holy priest until he was old enough to leave for his military training, that only enhanced his abilities and his true nature as a descendant of a Goddess..." Hotaru looked at the general, "You still need to grasp the meaning of that term,"

"We know the meaning of the word. Polemarchos are who we Terrans name our leaders but in the divine world they are the counterpart of the Sailor Senshi." Jadeite frowned, Hotaru shook her head, "There is no such thing as a counterpart for Sailor Senshi—Sailor Senshi were born with the divine blessing of their native star or planet. Polemarchos are another league of warriors, they have different jurisdiction, different missions, and different abilities. They are trained to annihilate and they hold no mercy when they are performing their duty. They do not believe in second chances, they do not believe in forgiveness—Prince Endymion never touched his heart when he was sent to kill. He fulfilled whatever command was asked to perform with excel results... as you may recall,"

"Queen Gaia—that is why she kept him apart as much as possible from knowing the truth," Zoisite muttered "She knew he needed Guardians to keep him at bay—" he turned to Kunzite "—To protect him from himself."

"My Prince would never hurt Princess Serenity..." Megumi shook her head, her eyes gleamed with unshed tears, "My Prince would never hurt her! He would never destroy this planet! He would never become what you say he is meant to become!" her fragile body started shaking, "You are judging him with prejudice and despair! It is unfair!"

"Megumi-san..." Rei tried to calm her shaking body. Megumi was angry, she was desperate and she did not take the outer senshi's conclusions as final. She has seen him fight, yes, but she witnessed his own sacrifice for the sake of the white princess and for the sake of his planet. The young maid stepped away and shook her head, "No! No! You are all betraying him!" she pointed her finger at the girls and then at the Shittenou, "I asked for your help, not your judgment, are you going to fail Her Majesty!? Are you going to betray our Prince?!"

"We are not abandoning him, Megumi," Nephrite said lowly, "We are here for those reasons—to protect him."

"We know Endymion enough to know he is not a danger to the Princess or any of us, he is a brother to us... we would never betray him." Jadeite crossed his arms. Megumi then turned to Haruka with a flushed and tearful face, "He died for the sake of Princess Serenity! He died protecting her! You were not there to witness it—you did not see them die! You did not see your Princess take her own life in grief!"

Setsuna closed her eyes and tilted her head down "That is true... we were not there because of our positions and jurisdiction." she sighed softly "I have seen the strings of time with my own eyes and while there are many things I still do not understand, I will remain in my position and support the Prince and Princess and follow my Father's wish in protecting the Gates of Time and Space,"

"We will be alert for any other encounter—Neptune's Talisman will give us our cue to attack." Haruka arched her brow "If you say the Prince has felt this distortion—he will know the time best suited to return."

"We have to divide and protect the city by sectors—we cannot continue gathering to discuss and suffer over comments and realities we are already aware of." Rei noticed Jadeite's serious tone, and without a trace of the playful man he usually was and felt a tug in her chest. The blonde shook his head, "We cannot do anything to change our Prince's nature and we were given an order to follow. Both attacks have happened where most people are gathered in order to gain their souls and turn them into shadows—that is where we will be taking special care."

"We will create a barrier—Helios will grant us the power to do so," Zoisite followed Jadeite's serious tone; "As Outer Senshi, you have the power to know when they cross to this realm, correct?"

Michiru nodded, Setsuna raised her hand and summoned for her garnet talisman "Yes, and as we speak, the Gates of Space and Time are closed but I might have to leave to personally guard them."

"But what about Usagi-chan?" Luna asked with a quivering voice, "What are we going to do once she returns?"

"We will look out for her, Luna," Minako stepped forward, her blue eyes looked at the black cat with determination "As her Guardians, we will look after her—but I trust the Prince's judgment—I will not follow the same path as before and try to pull them apart," she turned to Kunzite then at the outer senshi "Whatever and whoever we must fight against—we must stay on the same side otherwise any effort we make will be futile." Minako narrowed her eyes and turned to Setsuna, "This is it, the trial you once mentioned, right? A battle of fates to the afterlife."

O—o—o—o—O

The sky looked bloody red every time a new growling clash of thunder crash across it, like raging veins of anger. Mamoru walked through debris and rubble; he turned to look around and saw everything covered in darkness. As another loud rumble followed by another thunder the image of a woman in white appeared trapped in between dark veins and thorns and widened his blue eyes with horror.

Mamoru ran as fast as he could towards Usagi to release her from her trap when he noticed a woman in black appeared next to the lunar princess; her dark eyes looked intensely back at him and smirked with satisfaction.

"Hurts isn't it... Hybrid?"

O—o—O

"Mamo-chan..."

"Mamo-chan..."

"Mamo-chan!"

Mamoru snapped his eyes wide open and turned to look a very curious Usagi holding at the edge of the pool, "Uh... yes?" At such poor response from him, the silver blonde gave him a puzzled look and narrowed her eyes, "Did you just fall asleep?"

Mamoru stayed silent for a minute and nodded, still feeling the hazy effects of his vision. Usagi sighed, "Ah—see? That is what happens when you don't sleep more hours..." she tried to comb her wet hair out of her face since her top-knot lost its shape and fell to one side of her head but she couldn't do much because just losing her grip from the pool edge was a matter of life or death for the lunar princess.

The small hotel was popular for having hot springs in the middle of nature but also for the incredible wide pool that gave the illusion that one was swimming in a calm lake with all the foliage and trees around it. Everything was perfect and magical, the view, the water temperature, the melodic chirps from the many birds nested in the leafy trees, all but Usagi's lack of swimming abilities.

"I guess you are right..." he muttered softly when he noticed the blonde's struggle to keep her hair out of the way with her forearm and arched a brow in wonder, "Usako—what are you doing?" Usagi tried to play it cool and show she had everything under control, despite trying to keep her hair out of her face with her arm while keeping her hands glued to the edge of the pool, "Nothing." Mamoru tilted his head low and peered up over his dark shades, "You sure about that? Because it looks like you are struggling with something over there."

"My bun—" Usagi sighed with annoyance and mumbled through her face covered by her damp platinum blonde hair; the image was too funny and adorable for him to ignore "What bun?"

"The one I had when I got into the pool... it fell."

Mamoru moved from his seat and crouched in front of her by the pool, his hands slowly parted her long hair like a curtain to look at her face, "Ah, there you are—I was beginning to wonder if it was really you underneath all that hair." Usagi bit her lower lip as she tried to remain close to the edge, Mamoru frowned "Usa—you've been trying to keep yourself afloat in the same place for over an hour." The blonde blushed "N-No I haven't."

Mamoru felt a tug in his chest thinking how he would do anything for her. For the past few days, he had been having the same vision over and over again but has been trying his best to keep himself at bay so Usagi's peace would not be compromised. The more he looked at her, the more he loved her and the more he wanted to protect her but at what cost? He thought while knowing the answer perfectly well.

The more he lived that dream, the more he felt losing control over his emotions and the more he felt attracted to make justice with his own hands; it was a calling, but Usagi's words still echoed in his mind,

"Would you go down that same path once again?"

Mamoru took off his dark shades and put them on the chair along with his plain white t-shirt and took a dive into the pool startling the blonde still struggling to stay afloat close to the edge. Her crystal blue eyes widened when she felt his arms encircling her small waist and turned to see him emerging behind her and shook the excess of water in his hair, "Show off..." she narrowed her crystal blue eyes. Mamoru laughed, "What?! I didn't do anything!" He smiled and leaned closer to her, "Can't a husband join his wife in the pool and swim a little?" Usagi blushed when she felt his warm breath caressing her bare and wet shoulders. "Y-Yes..."

"Ah, that's what I thought..." Mamoru started to swim back to the deepest part of the pool, taking her with him, "W-What are you doing?" Usagi asked with fear as she looked down into the pool's depths.

"I am teaching you how to swim," Mamoru said softly as he kept swimming further away from the edge. Usagi widened her eyes and gulped nervously as she clung to his neck like a koala bear when she realized just how deep the pool was, "B-But..." she began to feel the anxiety of being out of her comfort zone and once her toes could no longer touch the bottom and took a deep but shaky breath, "Mamo-chan..." Mamoru tightened his left arm around Usagi's waist while he used his other arm to paddle their way to the center of the pool, "You're safe, it's okay,"

"This is too deep..." Usagi breathed in his ear with panic in her voice, "Too deep... too deep... I don't like this..."

Mamoru smiled and gave her a peck on her neck to calm her down, "It's okay—I am not letting you go." He leaned closer and heard Usagi's hasty breathing charged with fright but she was trusting in him and that was enough for him to come to the conclusion that for her, he would go any path necessary to keep her safe and make her happy but also, to encourage her to believe in her and her own strength and how she is capable of achieving anything she put her mind into, "Usa..." he brushed her ear with his lips and moved his head back to look at her, "Move your legs,"

"B-But..."

"You need to move your legs to keep yourself afloat—like pedaling a bicycle,"

Usagi frowned, "This is nothing like riding a bicycle..." Mamoru smiled, "Okay... then, kick..."

"Mamo-chan..."

"Come on Usa, you can do it—you are already doing great with your arms but you still need to move your legs, start kicking..." he leaned closer to her ear and kissed her softly on her temple, "I'm going to turn you around so you can lean your back on me and use me as support, okay?"

"No, no, no! I can't do this!"

"Yes, you can," Mamoru kissed her again as he turned her so her back could rest on his chest, "It's okay, I'm keeping my arm around your waist—keep your legs moving, think you're kicking a youma,"

"I-I don't know how..." Usagi bit her lip.

"Yes you do—you kick me all the time in your sleep!"

Usagi tried to look over her shoulder to scold him by his comment, "That's different!" she frowned "And you're not a youma..."

"Well, you kick me like one,"

"You're so mean... this isn't like that at all..."

Mamoru chuckled, "It's still kicking. Usako, you need to move your legs to keep yourself afloat," he frowned with curiosity, "Didn't you go to swimming classes? I once saw a picture of you wearing pink floats,"

"I did—once,"

"Once?"

Usagi let out an exasperated puff of air and nodded, "Mama gave up after one class—I cried the whole hour." Mamoru widened his eyes "Why?"

"I was afraid of the teacher—she dunked me into the water and that was enough to traumatize me for the rest of my life,"

"So, every time you went with the girls to the beach what did you do?" Mamoru arched his brow and patted her right tight gently, "Move this leg a little faster, love," Usagi let out a loud sigh as she continued kicking like there was no tomorrow and frowned, "Don't let me get started on the ocean..."

"Okay, okay..." Mamoru tried to hold his laughter; she was too adorable when she made up her mind about something. If she was mad at the ocean, that was a whole other story for another day but now he was honestly intrigued to know why. Mamoru kept moving around the pool mentally thanking to be there on a low season so they could have it all for themselves. He noticed she was still a little hesitant and stiff with her movements and smiled, "Okay, Usa... first of all, you have to stop being afraid because that will only give you panic attacks—breathe and go with the flow," he said softly in her ear, "Your legs don't have to be this tense, keep your pedaling simple, one leg at a time—do you remember when you started riding a bike?"

"Yes."

Mamoru smiled softly, "Okay... and what happened?" Usagi sweatdropped as she followed her husband's instructions and moved one leg at a time, "I crashed on everything—a lot."

Mamoru tightened his lips for a moment trying his best not to chuckle, "Okay... but do you remember what you had to do to keep the bike in a steady motion?"

"I had to pedal," Usagi said softly. Mamoru nodded "Exactly, and did you give up while you were learning?"

Usagi frowned and shook her head, "No—I loved my bike."

Mamoru slowly began to loosen his arm around her waist when he started to notice she was gaining confidence and control of her movements, "Really? What was it like?" Usagi smiled completely oblivious to what was happening and continued doing her thing feeling more relaxed, "Papa bought it for me as a birthday present—it was pink and it had glittered handles and rainbow-colored tassels—it also had a small bell, it was so cute." Mamoru chuckled as he pictured the bicycle, "That sounds like a bike only you could have."

"Oh! Oh!" she exclaimed with excitement as she started floating and moving on her own without even noticing, "It also had a white basket on its front and it had little-colored flowers attached to it. I used to carry my lunch there every time Papa took me to the park to ride it." Mamoru smiled, "That sounds lovely,"

"It was so much fun, Shingo was still a baby so Mama used to watch us from a bench,"

"Did it take you a long time to learn how to ride it without a problem?"

"No, just one afternoon."

Mamoru smiled as he completely let go of her and swam back, "That was fast, so, you basically loved your bike so much that you realized that you had to overcome your fear of falling and crashing into things and kept trying until you got a hang of it and mastered it." Usagi smiled and nodded, "I suppose, yes. I wanted to take it everywhere, it was an awesome bike."

Mamoru smiled proudly when he saw her floating and swimming on her own, "Hey, Mamo-chan, how am I doing?" he heard her ask like a child waiting for an approval from her teacher. "You tell me," he said with confidence; Usagi turned to look over her shoulder and noticed he was no longer holding her and that he was, in fact, two good feet away from her and widened her eyes, "Don't panic," he warned her gently, "You have been floating and swimming on your own for a while." Usagi blinked with genuine surprise, "S-Since when did you...?"

"You're good!" Mamoru grinned with pride, "Very good, not even I learned this fast!" The prince swam a little further back and extended his arms at her, "Come here," Usagi shook her head "Wait... no! I-I can't... I will look like a puppy trying to survive in the water..." Mamoru chuckled, "And? Who cares? We're alone. I know you can do it, you're just too terrified to believe that you actually can," Usagi shook her head, "B-But what will ha—"

"—I'll treat you whatever you want for dinner."

Usagi's eyes gleamed with excitement at the new challenge given to her, "Whatever I like is a strong statement, Chiba Mamoru," Mamoru chuckled and stretched his arms, "I'll take my chances, come on—remember to kick in par with your arms, just like you were doing a while ago."

Usagi smiled and between kicks and pedals she slowly made her way to her husband and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist like a koala bear once he reached for him, "A-ha! I got you! Now you will have to keep your word on that deal." Mamoru leaned his forehead on hers and nodded, "Of course," closing his eyes he allowed himself to feel more relaxed, putting the dream aside even if it was just for a minute. He wanted to enjoy the bliss of seeing her this happy for having overcome her fear of swimming.

"You should have been a teacher," Usagi said softly as she combed his wet hair back with her fingers, "I never noticed when you let go—" she widened her eyes "Hey! You said you were not going to let go of me!" Mamoru chuckled, "You stopped needing me my dear—I had to let you go and do things on your own."

Usagi ran her hands through his hair again and leaned her face closer to his to gently rub her lips on his, "I will always need you, I don't want you to ever let me go." Mamoru's arms wrapped around her waist again and shook his head "I am proud of you, Buns," he smiled, "You just needed to lose your fear of being in the water,"

"No, I needed you to help me stop being afraid..." Usagi traced the line of his jaw with her fingers, "Like you always do..." she looked into his eyes in silence for a minute and tilted her head with worry, "What is going on Mamo-chan?"

Mamoru blinked a little startled, "What?"

"I know something is troubling you..." the blonde frowned, "And don't give me a 'nothing is wrong' for an answer—I know you too well to know something is troubling your mind." Mamoru half smiled, "Usa..."

"Do we need to go back?" Usagi asked bluntly, her voice showed more concern than curiosity this time. Mamoru looked at her but did not know for sure what to answer; Usagi leaned her forehead on his and lowered her gaze, "Mamo-chan, it's okay..." she smiled sadly, "It's part of our lives—to always be prepared for anything."

"Usa..." he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, "All I want is to keep you safe and make you happy. I know I have been distracted lately and I am sorry—" he sighed softly, "It just worries me just to think that I could put your life in danger for being who I am... I still have flashes from my past and I am still trying to figure out why the Queen did what she did and why everybody treated me like a piece of glass."

Usagi looked at him and noticed the sadness in his mystical blue eyes and could not help to feel that familiar tug in her chest, the same one she felt that night when he found out the truth and tried to push her away from him. She knew he was still trying to figure out who he was and how to come to terms with the truth and his origins. She could see him struggling between two identities and have his moments of confusion and frustration every time he saw him standing by the window in the middle of the night, looking at the dark sky or whenever he lost himself in his own thoughts. They didn't have much time to process all this and move past it; it was hard for him to leave it behind just yet because all this happened just a few days before their wedding and Mamoru being Mamoru, he put the matter on hold to focus on her, probably thinking that he would work on it later, but that later still hasn't come and it's starting to drain him both physically and emotionally.

Now that the hype and stress of the wedding had passed and that they were finally on their own, it has given Usagi some serious time to think about this and she felt terrible for not bringing the conversation again. Mamoru smiled and acted like if nothing had happened just a day after Ares appeared and exposed his life and past but she knew he was hurting and that he preferred to stay at bay but after these couple of nights she had seen him a little distracted and more silent than usual she realized how much feelings he had swallowed for her sake, for the wedding, for this trip, and now, here he was giving his all to make her feel happy and help her overcome her own fears of something so trivial as it was to learn how to swim.

Usagi closed her eyes and tightened her arms around his neck and took a deep breath. Mamoru drew back a little noticing the sudden change in her mood, "Usa?" he frowned when he realized she was avoiding visual contact with him, "You okay?"

"Yes..."

"Liar,"

Usagi turned to look the other way and leaned her head on his shoulder. Mamoru felt the tension and uneasiness from her and took a deep breath, "Usa... look at me,"

"No..."

"Please?"

"I can't..."

"Why?"

"I just can't..." Usagi sniffed softly and made a small pause, "They're too blue,"

"What?"

"You're eyes—"

Mamoru frowned confused, "I'm not following..."

"Your eyes... they're too intense, too blue,"

Mamoru blinked genuinely confused and sighed softly, "Uh... okay... let me go get my sunglasses then, I don't want to freak you out because my eyes are..." he sweatdropped and frowned, "Too blue,"

"No!"

"No?"

"No..."

"Usa..." Mamoru tried to tilt her face to meet his but Usagi was really trying her best not to make any visual contact with him, "What's going on? Did I say something wrong?"

"No..."

"Then, what is it? You need to talk to me because I really don't understand what's going on..."

Usagi opened her eyes but still didn't turned to face her husband, "I've been selfish and inconsiderate," she took a deep breath and released it slowly, "l feel like I pressured you to continue with the wedding plans..." Mamoru frowned, "What?" he pulled back to look at her "Usa, you didn't pressure me to do anything, it was something I wanted too,"

Usagi turned but still didn't look up at him, "But with everything that happened just days before and all the things you le—" her eyes opened wide when she felt his finger on her lips and finally looked into his eyes. Mamoru sighed, finally understanding what this was about and where exactly this was going, "Usa... don't."

"You haven't spoken about your feelings since that day..."

"Baby, what do you want me to say?" Mamoru shrugged his shoulders, "Really, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to cry?"

"No,"

"Do you want me to raise my voice and scream?"

"No,"

"You want me to get angry and slam the door or throw another bottle of stinky cologne against a wall?"

Usagi sighed and shook her head; she knew the man too well to understand that whenever he called her baby it was because he was getting frustrated or irritated with something but he was being careful to not to make her feel like he was frustrated or irritated at her; she knew he did it to avoid any sort of dispute—he didn't like to argue, not with her, so, he learned the trick after he noticed she often misunderstood his gestures and it had worked fine, but now, things were different—the situation unfolding before them was different. This wasn't about who left a red sock in the washing machine with a load of white clothes, or who left the iron turned on after having left the apartment. This was about his life, a life he had thought was lost and forgotten but wanted to remember and now it was slowly coming back to him, "No..."

"Then what can I do to make you feel better?"

"It's not about making me feel better, Mamo-chan, it's about you feeling better," Usagi moved closer to him, "It's about you talking about how you feel, what you feel here..." she patted his chest and looked at him with sad eyes, "You've been swallowing all these feelings and putting this whole matter aside. When I said I was selfish and inconsiderate it's because I realized I should have done this sooner... I should have sat with you and talked about this and help you deal with all this, help you feel better—help you heal, but instead of that, I focused my attention on the wedding... you are much more important than any of that. I was inconsiderate to your feelings and I can't stand it—it makes me angry,"

"You need to stop thinking that this is your fault, Usa. You talk about the wedding as if it was something only you wanted—you make it sound like you made me marry you and that's not the case. Yes, you're right, I put that aside because there is not much I can do about it. I can't change things. I can't bring anyone back—I can't turn back time and fix things, I can't change fate no matter how much it hurts to remember, no matter how much it hurts to know," Mamoru traced the line of her lips and gave her the warmest of smiles, "But I can have a present and a future with you. You are my priority, Usagi. I want to keep you safe, I want to make you happy—I want to live my life with you not because you are making me, but because I love you and I want to have that with you. You have no idea of how much I waited for this moment... not even my past can compete with it. Do I miss them? Yes, I do, but sadly... I can't do anything to bring them back."

Usagi leaned closer to him and took a deep breath, "But still... you are mad at her..." she combed back a chunk of hair that had fallen in his eyes again, "Your eyes show so much emotion... you are still holding all these feelings deep down,"

"I am not mad at her," it was Mamoru's turn to avert his gaze from hers, Usagi tilted her head when she noticed the gesture, "You call her Queen, not Mother." Mamoru turned to Usagi who had her crystal blue gaze fixed into his sapphire eyes, "Megumi told me you spoke of her in third person—like if you were talking about a character of a fantasy tale." Mamoru sighed heavily and rolled his eyes with annoyance, "Isn't she?" Usagi was taken aback by his sudden reaction, "Mamo-chan..."

Mamoru shook his head and sighed again, "I'm sorry... I don't—" he trailed off "You have no idea how many times I wondered what the hell was wrong with me and I never got a straight answer, I asked her—many times and I never got an answer. I don't want to keep listening the 'you're special' excuse, I am tired of it." Usagi tilted her head and pulled him closer, "No, no—I won't tell you that."

"Then you must understand this isn't something you caused, this isn't your fault, so please stop feeling guilty, can you do that for me Buns?" Mamoru ran his arms around her waist and leaned his forehead on hers, "Please?" Usagi nodded and kissed him softly on the lips and let herself get pulled into that deep gaze of his, "I love you... to the Moon and back—"

"—To the world where we belong," Mamoru kissed her again and looked at her in the eyes, "We've made it this far..." Usagi smiled at him and nodded, "We have lived for a promise we made to ourselves a long time ago..." Mamoru smiled and pinched her nose softly, "We have, yes,"

"Let's continue living for that," Usagi smiled, "Let's just keep that promise in mind and live for that,"

"I like that philosophy," Mamoru gave his wife a sensual smirk; Usagi blushed "See? I can be philosophical..."

Mamoru nodded, "Yes, you can my dear," Usagi combed his hair back again and caressed his face "That, and a keen negotiator..."

"Well..." Mamoru laughed when he felt Usagi's hand slapping the back of his head playfully, "Hey!"

"I am! And you, Earth Prince, made a deal with me a while ago." Usagi flashed him a toothy grin making Mamoru chuckle, "You are hungry, right?"

Usagi giggled "What can I say? All this swimming made me hungry..."

"Yeah sure..." Mamoru chuckled, "Come on," he motioned her to climb on his back as he swam back to the edge and stepped out of the pool first to help her get out, "So, what are we eating?" he asked as he handed Usagi a fluffy towel and grabbed one to start drying himself. She began drying her hair first and giggled, "Oh dear—you just opened Pandora's box with that question."

"I know..." Mamoru smiled, "But I think I need to be prepared..." his sapphire eyes widened when he felt her hands around his waist that turned him to look at the mischievous grin she was giving him before pulling him closer to her and kiss him deeply on the lips, "Yes... that too..." she whispered sensually without taking her eyes off him, for the first time in all of their years together, Mamoru fell completely under her sensual spell feeling completely dismantled and blushed three shades of red, "Oh..."

Usagi kissed him again and took a deep breath after they parted a couple of minutes later. After so many years, the student had surpassed the master and she was glad that they were alone.

AN: Dearest reader, a very heartfelt thank you to you who sent me a message or review. As I said before... us writers need good vibes and nudges. They motivate us to keep going.

I read and answer (if possible) to every message and review. I really appreciate your words. I am sorry if the relationship between Ares and Eris is a little rough, it has been chaotic since the very beginning. I'm sorry if it makes some of you uncomfortable but at least in this story that's how it goes... she's not a benevolent goddess and he, well, he's the god of war-what much can we expect?

If you like it, leave me a comment below. I wish you all a good weekend, until next week!

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