What will Sosoru do now that she knows Mamoru's true feelings? What will
happen between Mamoru and Usagi?
Usual disclaimer applies.

Chapter 13 – Return of Setsuna

Sosoru limped through the door and closed it behind her. Lightning
illuminated the sky and startled her. She fell back and began to sob, holding
her stomach. Slowly, she raised herself off of the door and wobbled through
the dark apartment and felt her way to the bathroom. The thunder rolled,
shaking the room. Weakly, she turned on the light and saw her face in the
mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her face gaunt and red. Her
brown hair was wet, tangled and heavy, seemingly dragging her down. She
managed to pull off her clothes and noticed the red spot in her pants. She
began to sob louder as she leaned over to fill the bathtub with water. Before
she could turn the knob, all of her strength left her, and she passed out.

Mamoru walked up to his apartment door and halted. The storm
outside grew more intense, and it matched the storm brewing in his heart.
His throat began to throb, his knees, weakening. He had to tell Sosoru it was
definitely over between them. It would be best for her to find another place
to live. He loved her, just not the same way she loved him. To have her stay
would be unfair to both of them, and Usagi. As he gathered his thoughts, and
his strength, he opened the door. Instead of being greeting by a smiling
Sosoru, the stiffening darkness met him. He looked around and noticed the
bathroom light was on. He cautiously proceeded to the door, which was only
partially open.

"Sosoru," he whispered, "we have to talk." When he did not get an answer, he opened the door and found her lying on the floor, in a small pool of blood. "Oh my god," he screamed, "Sosoru…Sosoru!"

He knelt down and picked her up off the floor. Her body was cold and limp. He
checked for her pulse, it was extremely faint. Panicked, he lifted her up and
carried her into the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and quickly went
through one of the drawers. He fumbled with clothes before he found what
he was looking for. He picked up the small hemp bag and opened it. He
carefully took out a dried flower petal and walked over to Sosoru. He placed
it in her mouth and tried to get her to swallow it. After a few attempts, she
had ingested the petal and Mamoru could do nothing but wait.

After a couple of hours, Sosoru began to stir. She blinked her eyes and
put her hand to her forehead. Slowly, she sat herself up and looked at the
foot of the bed. Mamoru was sitting in a chair, sleeping. She smiled, but it
faded when she remembered the words he said about her.

"He only feels obligated to care for me. He doesn't want to care for me."

Careful not to wake Mamoru, she slid out of bed. To her surprise, she was clean and had on night pants and a shirt. "He must have washed me up," she thought as she
walked out of the room. The rain was now light and tapped gently at the
windowpane. She looked to the left and noticed the extra room, which was
supposed to be her baby's room.

"Not anymore," she thought out loud.

A noise from the back of the apartment startled her and she turned around. It
was Mamoru. He had turned on the lights and looked at her. The soft light
lustrously framed Sosoru's body. All that could be seen was her silhouette
and her intense eyes. Her eyes burned straight though Mamoru's tough
exterior and straight to his heart.

"I'm glad to see you are felling better," he muttered.

She walked past him, into the bedroom and grabbed a suitcase.

"I'm not feeling better. As a matter of fact, this is probably the worst day of
my life. But, I'm sure tomorrow will be worse, that just seems to be the
pattern with me."

She opened her drawer and started throwing her things into the case. Mamoru walked into the room and looked at her.

"What are you doing?"

She continued stuffing her belongings into the case and never
looked at him.

"You do not have to act any longer. You are only doing this out of obligation. Now that there is just me, you no longer need to take care of me." Puzzled, Mamoru grabbed her by her arm, halting her.

"What do you mean, 'just you'?" She snatched her arm back, glaring at him. "You
didn't…"

She slapped him across the face so hard he nearly reeled back. The sting of her hand lingered on his cheek as he faced her, her chest heaving up and down.

"No," she said calmly, "I thought about it, but no. I lost it...last night." She walked away from him and started grabbing her trinkets from the top of the dresser. "I wonder how," she turned to him, "Wonder why I was weak and stressed." Mamoru lowered his head, and shed a tear. "Where's that big talk now, Chiba-san? All that jazz you were telling Usagi, where is it now? Half of the things you told her we hadn't even discussed. Would you have though it so hard to just talk to me?"

Mamoru looked at her. He had a feeling she was there at the café, he could feel her aura.

"I want to say I didn't mean it, but I do. Well, I don't want you to go, not now," he tried to explain. She zipped up her last bag and walked into the living room.

"What, more obligation? I must be the luckiest girl in the world! How many people
do you know actually enjoy being someone's burden? I'm sorry, Chiba-san,
no more." She picked up her bags and proceeded out the door, but halted and
tuned around before crossing the threshold. "You told her that you were
doing the duty of a friend, you tell her obligation. Why don't you figure
out what you really want before you hurt anyone else." The door shut, and
Mamoru was left in silence.

Setsuna awoke from her dreamless sleep. She had come back from the
dead, and it took some getting used to. She did not discuss what she saw in
the afterlife, or even hint if there was one. She just hugged Sosoru, said a
prayer to her mother and returned to her apartment. Chibi-Usa didn't even
bother to see her anymore. She wasn't used to being treated so coldly.
Setsuna put on her robe and went into the kitchen to start some coffee. The
sun was still hiding behind the horizon, the sky just beginning to brighten.
After she set the machine, she walked over to her window and looked down
at the streets of Juuban. No one was out at that time of the morning she
thought to herself, and turned to the coffee machine. She then heard
footsteps on the damp pavement and glanced outside. Her eyes widened.

"Sosoru," she thought to herself. She opened the window and called out to
her. "Sosoru-san, what are you doing out there?" Why are you all packed
up?"

Sosoru looked up and responded. "It's a long story, Setsuna."

Setsuna then motioned for her to come up and Sosoru complied.

Sosoru sipped the hot coffee, which soothed her. Setsuna sat next to
her, rubbing her shoulder.

"That's really tough," she said trying to comfort her. "Mamoru is being really unfair to you and Usagi. And all this after you are raped and get pregnant and then you lose the child…I don't know what I'd do."

Sosoru placed the cup on the table and looked up at Setsuna. The sun had trickled through the blinds of her apartment and illuminated the room.

"Well," she said, "I know him. He would never purposely hurt anyone. I made a big mistake coming back here, thinking he'd love me more than her. I think he really tried to make himself believe he loved me with all his heart, you know? But, the second he saw Usagi, I knew something snapped with him."

Setsuna rose and opened the blinds, letting all the light pour into the room. "I still don't think it's fair," Setsuna said turning around, "He knows better."

Sosoru let a nervous smile run across her face. "Well, I know better. I was being selfish…and you know what…I paid for it. I did it hoping I wouldn't be alone. Not only did I lose him, but I lost my child…even if it was conceived through violence."

Setsuna glanced back out the window as Sosoru continued her coffee. She noticed and placed her cup back on the table and walked over to her.

"What's on your mind," Sosoru asked. Setsuna turned to her and smiled.

"Oh nothing," she lied. "You can stay here if you like, until you can return to the future."

Sosoru looked out the window and gazed at the little people walking through the streets. Never casting an eye on Setsuna, she spoke to her.

"I know you're lying. What is it?"

Setsuna smiled, the warmth of the sun at her back.

"Mamoru…I always thought of him as the image of perfection, you know."

Sosoru smiled, apassing bird catching her attention.

"You had a crush on him, too," Sosoru teased, "Who didn't? The guy is hot!"

The pair laughed and Setsuna turned around and looked out the window with Setsuna.

"Yeah, true. But I knew nothing would happen between us. You at least had a relationship with him before he met Usagi. Don't worry, things will work out."

Sosoru did not respond. Setsuna placed her hand on her shoulder and Sosoru cried.

*l*l*

Mamoru sat on a hill overlooking a lake…the same lake he sat over
the day he told Usagi he did not want anything to do with her. He pulled up
some blades of grass, which were beginning to turn brown, and released
them into the brisk air. A cold wind blew and he buttoned up with jacket.
His hair danced in the wind, his midnight eyes staring into the distance. The
grass rustled as he let his mind wonder into the depths of his heart. How
could he treat two women the way he did? How could he inflict so much
pain to cause Sosoru to lose her child? How can he make everything right?
Unable to find an answer, he stood and continued to gaze out at the water.
Usagi stood at a distance, looking a Mamoru. Her heart skipped a beat. He
looked like a picture, so beautiful and calm. She gripped her heart and ran up
the hill to him. Hearing the footsteps in the dry, brittle grass Mamoru turned
around and say Usagi coming toward him. Before he could react, she leapt
into his arms and buried her head in his chest.

"Mamo-chan," she cried, "Mamo-chan!" She began to sob as Mamoru put his arms around her slowly.

"Usako," he whispered in a broken tone, "I am sorry. I have caused so much
pain…so much hurt."

Usagi dug her nails into the back of his coat, letting the tears fall on his jacket.

"I know you have. I miss you, Mamo-chan. I know things got messed up. Everything happened so fast."

Mamoru broke from the brace and held her by her shoulders. Her expression showed her confusion.

"Yes, and everything is happening fast again," he said somberly, "I'm not making the same mistake twice." He traced her face with his finger and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Usako, I don't want to hurt you ever again."

Usagi placed her hand over his and smiled.

"Don't worry. I'm a big girl now. After all, you love me and I love you."

She stood on her tiptoes and placed her soft lips onto his. Reluctantly, he returned the kiss urging her to part her lips so he could taste her tongue. She willingly complied and tightly embraced him. The heat of their fusion caused long surpassed
emotions to arise and their kiss quickly turned passionate. Usagi tore from
the kiss and she tried to catch her breath. Smiling through her tears, she took
Mamoru by the hand and led him out of Tokyo Park.