Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Author's Notes: Enjoy!

Reunited

Sailor Neptune rushed forward with Uranus by her side. She could feel the light footsteps of her partner beside her as they hopped over buildings and headed towards the creature. Neptina felt her heart flutter with happiness of being reunited with her partner. She hadn't felt like this in quite a long time. Ignoring the burning feeling in her body caused by her illness, Neptina rushed forward along side Uranus.

Both senshi skidded to a halt on a building right in front of the creature. Glancing at Neptune, Uranus nodded and raised her blade.

"Are you ready?"

"As long as you are," Neptune said sincerely.

Uranus smiled and putting all her remaining energy into this one last attack, yelled, "Space Sword Blaster!"

A giant ball of energy burst forward, scorching half the rooftop.

Neptina followed, drawing up all her energy and forcing it into her attack. "Deep Sea Current Call!"

A tunnel of water burst out from the flute and twisted around Uranus' attack. The attacks combined and formed a giant ball of energy that they shot at the side of the creature so they wouldn't hit Pluto. Gaining speed, the ball of energy crumbled the ground underneath as it skimmed over to the monster. The wind and ocean roared loudly in the background and dark clouds tumbled overhead. Holding their breath, two senshi watched tensely as their attack shot forward.

Gasping in surprise, the creature dropped Pluto and raised his arms to block the attack. There was a giant explosion of light as the ball collided with the creature and it was a struggle for dominance as the monster tried to push the ball of energy away.

The wind whipped wildly around the creature and the ocean roared, its waves rising higher each time. Both Uranus and Neptune willed their attack to overthrow the monster, and the ball of energy grew bigger and brighter. Grunting, the creature forced the giant ball of energy over his head, where it disappeared in to the horizon. Both senshi watched in shock as the attack vanished into the darkness.

Neptina fell to her knees with a look of disbelief in her sapphire eyes. They threw everything into that attack. Every ounce of power they had left, every ounce of hope they had for the future. It was all gone. They had lost. Her flute clattered to the floor where it shattered. Looking to her right, she could tell Urana didn't have enough power to fight either. Neptune smiled bitterly as she looked at Uranus' tattered fuku, tangled hair and bruised body. The blonde's usually bright eyes were filled with tears of frustration.

Uranus hit the ground angrily with her gloved hand. They had thrown everything into that attack and still lost. "No…"

Neptina shakily got onto her knees and crawled over to her partner. Placing an arm around Urana's shoulder, Neptina silently lowered herself to face Urana and smiled softly. Urana's eyes warmed and she hugged Neptina. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect the planet for you."

Neptina squeezed Urana's shoulder reassuringly. "Queen Serenity will not let the planet fall. I'm content enough that we have made up before I die."

Neptune rested her head against Uranus' shoulder and closed her eyes. "I just feel that bad that we are taking Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru to the underworld with us. They will not be allowed to live."

Uranus lifted her head to look at her daughter below holding Michiru in her arms. They deserved better. They were both still so young; this shouldn't be their fate. Urana's eyes filled with tears once again as she looked at her daughter. "The deserve better. We can't let them die."

Uranus weakly tried to push herself off the floor but found that her arms felt like noodles and were unable to support her. Collapsing back onto the floor again, the woman tried again. "We can't let Haruka and Michiru…"

Painfully, Neptune watched her partner struggle to continue on. Determination shimmered in Uranus' blue-green eyes. It would be a shame if the solar system lost such a person like Urana. Though too proud to admit it, Neptune admired her partner greatly. When she was young, she had always strived to be what Urana was. Confident, carefree, determined, strong and brave. Neptina may have seemed perfect and whole on the outside, but in the inside, she was unsure and weak. Urana was her role model. Neptina was only the person she was today because of her partner and Ruby. Now it was her turn to support her friend.

Pulling Uranus' arm over her shoulder, Neptina shakily got onto her knees and pulled her partner onto her feet. Both woman leaned against each other for support as they struggled to stand and continue to fight. The marine-haired woman could feel her muscles burning in pain, but pushed the discomfort out of her mind. "You were always so stubborn and you still are."

Uranus grinned. "You've grown stronger."

Neptina silently told herself that it was only thanks to Uranus that she was so strong.

"It's time to end this," the rock creature said and formed a dark ball of energy in between its hands. Spinning uncontrollably, the ball shot forward towards the building Uranus and Neptune were standing on.

As the ball shot towards them, the planetary symbols suddenly started to glow on Neptune's and Uranus' forehead. Glancing down, Uranus noticed that the symbols on Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru were glowing as well. Just before the attack hit, a sparkling barrier formed between Urana and Neptune and the ball.

"I could feel the energy from the other scouts flowing through me," Urana whispered. A brilliant light enveloped the two older scouts. Ribbons danced and spiraled around the dome of light. As the light faded, Urana found herself dressed in a smooth, silver gown that reached down to her ankles. Looking down, Urana discovered a long emerald colored sash wrapped around her waist. On her shoulders was a light green cloak that billowed lightly in the wind.

Urana gasped in surprise as she gazed at Neptina. Her partner was dressed in a royal blue, sleeveless gown with pearls sewn in to the fabric. In addition, there were stunning flowers embroidered onto the dress. An elegant gold necklace sparkled softly around her neck, various bracelets shimmered on her wrist as she moved and delicately placed on top of Neptina's head was a pearl and bead headpiece.

Floating in between the two women was a beautiful staff with jewels encrusted along the sides. Place on top of the staff was a clear orb. What was particular about the orb was that inside it were miniature replicas of the planets Pluto, Uranus and Neptune. Sparkles floated around the staff, making the entire situation seem unreal. Reaching forward, Urana closed her hand around the staff and Neptina soon followed the action. Wind whirled around the two women and Urana and Neptina both closed their eyes as they felt energy flow into their bodies.

Looking up and glaring at the rock creature, the two Queens sent their energy forward and a blast of light erupted from the tip of the staff. The electric blue light twisted and took shape of a large dragon that lunged forward to attack its prey. Roaring loudly, the dragon extended its claws and slammed into the rock creature. A burst of light filled the clearing and everyone watched breathlessly as the light faded away.

Blinking away the spots that filled their vision, Neptina and Urana both collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. However, there efforts were rewarded as they looked down at the crater in the middle of the city to find nothing more but a pile of motionless rocks.

Neptina tucked Michiru in her bed after having the healers check up on the girl. She had made sure that Michiru was fine before having her healers check up on herself. Neptina would have had held the healers back longer if they didn't have other business to attend to. The city was in ruins and numerous people injured throughout the city as a result of the battle. Many of the citizens had sought refuge in the castle and were being looked after by the palace servants.

Neptina rubbed her temples, knowing that she would have to talk to the citizens soon for an explanation and plans to rebuild the city. Turning her head slightly to gaze outside the window, the Queen sighed softly. Half the buildings have collapsed, the docks were damaged and falling apart, and there were numerous craters littered all over the ground. Though the rock creature had caused all this damage, the Queen had to admit that half of the mess also belonged to her and Urana. This would take some time, and they still did not know who was behind this. This took her back to the darker days when she and Asuran were rebuilding Neptune because of the damage done by the dark mages. This time, she would have Urana to help her, Neptina reminded herself and smiled softly.

Urana and Haruka were currently being checked over. Apparently all their major wounds had been healed when she and Urana transformed into their new forms. None of them were in serious injury though Setsuna would have to stay in the infirmary over night.

Smoothing out Michiru's tangled hair, Neptina leaned back and pondered over Urana's earlier words. Michiru had seemed so willing to do what Neptina had asked her and never questioned her decisions. Michiru always followed through without complaint, even in agreements that Neptina knew her daughter disliked greatly. Neptina had believed that it was for the good of her daughter. If Michiru were to become a good Queen, she would have to learn from an early age. However, now that Neptina let her thoughts work themselves, she realized that perhaps she had been wrong in forcing Michiru to grow up so quickly and with so many expectations. Perhaps her daughter had learned too well. She hoped that it wasn't too late for her to give Michiru another chance.

Hearing the door creak open, Neptina turned to find Urana enter the room. Smiling softly, Neptina got off the bed and gestured toward a couch placed in the corner of Michiru's room. After Urana had comfortably seated herself, Neptina sat down across the table so that she was facing the her partner.

"How is Michiru?" Urana asked.

"She should be fine," Neptina replied lightly as she looked over Urana. Now that she had time to actually look at Urana, Neptina realized that her friend had changed over the years. Her face was harsher and her eyes seemed tired. Yet, she could still see the determination on her face, courageousness, grace and strength. Actually, now that she had a chance to sit back and look at her friend, Neptina couldn't believe she had missed Haruka's relation with Urana. The resemblance between the two was too striking to just be a coincidence. "Have the healers looked to you and Haruka?"

Urana nodded and thanked Neptina for her concern. "Haruka is resting now."

Sighing, Urana said tiredly, "I'm afraid I have to apologize for my daughter's actions. She should have known better than to sneak into your palace with out your consent. I'm very disappointed in her."

"Don't be," Neptina said, causing Urana to glance up curiously. "Your daughter helped save my kingdom today and protected Michiru. Though she did enter the palace with out my knowledge and consent, I am willing to forgive her actions."

Urana opened her mouth to argue, however, Neptina beat her to it.

"Let's call it even then," Neptina said, smiling softly.

Urana grinned. "You have changed."

Neptina raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How so?"

Urana frowned as she searched for words to describe her friend. "You seem to be more forgiving and understanding now. I remember once I stole your flute to play around with and you put pink hair dye in my shampoo."

Urana laughed as she recalled the memory. "I thought the shampoo looked off but I assumed that it was strawberry flavored or something."

Neptina joined in laughing. If she was more forgiving and understanding, it was only because of Urana. She had taught her so much. No matter where she went, whenever she was with Urana, she would seem to learn more about herself and the people around her. Today was an interesting example. It still shocked her to learn that perhaps she was not correct in assuming that Urana was heartless because she chose to give up a friend to win a battle. Perhaps if she had understood back then, things would have been different.

Neptina shook her head and pushed the thought away. She would think about this later. Meanwhile, they had important matters at hand.

"As for the attack, do you have any ideas who is behind this?" Neptina asked her friend. The marine haired woman appeared to be deeply concerned over the matter. The only people the rock creatures answered to were the dark mages. Yet, they should all be dead. How was this possible? Neptina closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. In addition, there were the disasters appearing all across the planet. There had to be a relationship between the two. Was a dark mage behind all this? Neptina thought back to her studies and tried her best to dig up something that her teachers might have told her about the dark mages but came empty handed.

Urana shook her head, just as confused. Her green-blue eyes reflected her concern and worry for her friend. From what she had heard about the planet's condition, it was not good. After this attack, the enemy would need time to recharge their energy but they still didn't know who he or she was. Their enemy was going to attack again eventually, and planet Neptune was in no condition to take another attack like this.

Hearing a sharp rap on the door, the two Queens turned. After getting permission to come in, a young advisor entered the room. He nervously bit his lip as he faced the queen.

"What is it?" Neptina asked impatiently.

"We have gotten a confession from Master Souichi and the guards are holding him down now as we speak. Apparently, he said that he was responsible for the disasters on Neptune and the attempts on the princess' life."

Neptina quickly got onto her feet. "Souichi?"

Neptina shook her head. It couldn't be Souichi. She had known him for years. He had served her loyally. Whenever Neptina was unsure or concerned about an issue, she could always trust him to assist her. Neptina felt her legs weaken and was grateful when Urana stood up beside her to hold her up.

"Bring me to him," Neptina said, trying to keep her voice calm.

The young boy led the two women down the corridor. Urana glanced at her friend and squeezed her hand reassuringly. Neptina glanced up at Urana and forced a smile on to her face.

As they stepped into the throne room Neptina found Souichi with his hands behind his back, being held roughly by a few palace guards. Neptina steeled herself and strode over to the throne and sat down. She glanced at Urana and looked pointedly at a seat beside her. Urana nodded and seated herself beside the Queen.

"Is it true that you are behind all these attacks, Souichi?"

Souichi raised his head to meet Neptina's eyes. The Queen narrowed her eyes and squarely met his cold gaze. Souichi, what are you doing?

"It took you long enough to figure out. Yes, I am responsible for these attacks. I have wanted to become the King of Neptune for such a time. But first, I would need to dispose of some people."

Neptina got up from her thrown and walked forwards toward Souichi. Her heels clicked softly against the cold marble floor. Stopping a few steps in front of Souichi, Neptina knelt down and placed a finger under his chin. Lifting his face, Neptina looked inquiringly into the man's icy blue eyes. The eyes were unfamiliar. Frowning, Neptina tilted his head and reached into Souichi's mind with her magic.

Souichi jerked away and glared coldly at Neptina. "You do not believe that I am Souichi? Well then, perhaps if I tell you something that you have only revealed to Souichi, then you will believe me."

Neptina drew her hand away. "Tell me what?"

Souichi laughed and glanced behind Neptina to Urana. "After you married Asuran, you visited me every once in a while to share your thoughts. You felt comforted while talking to me and I helped you eased the pain you felt in your heart. You didn't want to marry Asuran. You had fallen in love with someone else; someone who could not return your love. You had fallen for Zhen."

Neptina rose unemotionally to her feet. "Take him to the dungeons."

The guards bowed and lifted the man under his arms. Turning to drag Souichi away, the guards were stopped by a blonde.

"Stop," Haruka shouted, stumbling through the doors of the thrown room. The blond clutched the wound on her shoulder as she walked up to Neptina. "Souichi is not the one who is behind this."

Neptina raised her hand to stop Haruka from continuing. "He has confessed himself."

Haruka opened her mouth to argue but Neptina glared sharply at the blonde, silencing her. Turning to glance at Souichi, Haruka watched helplessly as he was dragged into the dungeons.

"You should return to your room and rest Haruka," Neptina said nodding towards a guard, she asked him to safely return Haruka to her room. Seeing that Haruka wasn't going to comply without a fight, Neptina added, "We will discuss this later."

Neptina glanced sadly at the dark evening sky, as she stood alone on a balcony. The wind whispered softly, playing with her long marine colored tresses. It felt so peaceful just standing there after a hard day. Earlier she had made a speech to the citizens and made plans to rebuild the city. There were many other issues to worry about across the planet, but she could only do so much right now.

Neptina walked over to a chair and settled herself down. Crossing her legs, the Queen smoothed out her knee length, snow white, dress and closed her eyes. The wind seemed to wrap itself around her, comforting her and warming her heart.

"Neptina."

Slowly opening her eyes, the Queen glanced up to find Urana standing beside her. Smiling softly, Neptina told her friend to take a seat. The blonde moved to the other side of the table and drew out a chair.

"I'm really thankful that you are staying to help rebuild Neptune."

Urana nodded and glanced distantly at the starry sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight for miles. No one would have guessed that just a few hours ago, there had been a storm. Everything was oddly peaceful. Urana hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should ask Neptina the question that had been bothering her the entire day. It would be a pity to ruin the peace and friendship that they had just regained. Yet the question would not stop pestering Urana. Sighing softly, Urana faced Neptina.

"Neptina… is what Souichi said true?"

Neptina stared at her lap quietly. It didn't seem like she was going to answer at all and Urana was surprised when she heard Neptina's soft voice.

"I did. I remember the first time I met Zhen. He was kind, considerate, sensible and humorous. He told me jokes and teased me to make me laugh. No other man had ever made me feel the emotions I felt for him. Whenever I looked at him, I could feel my heart stop and my stomach flutter. Yet I said nothing. I had a duty to my planet and was already engaged to Asuran," Neptina whispered as she closed her eyes and recalled the memories.

"So I married Asuran and watched in pain as your two became lovers," Neptina slowly opened her eyes and gazed at Urana. Seeing the worried expression on her partners face, Neptina shook her head and smiled reassuringly. "The times I spent with Asuran were one of the happiest in my life. I do not love Zhen anymore."

Yet, somewhere in my heart, I would always wonder if it could have been different. If she had told Zhen, would he still be alive? Would Ruby still be alive? Would she have lived a happier life?

Urana smiled. "I am glad then."

Neptina nodded softly, and uncrossed her legs. She could never tell Urana her true feelings. It wouldn't do any of them any good. Zhen was dead. Asuran was dead. It was too late to do anything now and pointless to bring up.

Urana leaned forward on the table and placed her head in her hands. "You do not think Souichi is responsible for the attacks, am I correct?"

Neptina raised an eyebrow. Had Urana seen through her so easily? Leaning back in her chair, Neptina grinned. "You guessed right. Otherwise, I wouldn't have sent him to the dungeons like that. If he was a dark mage, who knows what spells he could perform down there unsupervised? He is under someone's control. I was just surprised he knew about how I felt towards Asuran. He may be under someone's control, but he should not be able to gain access to Souichi's memories."

"Who do you think is responsible then?"

Neptina sighed and shook her head. "I do not know. I know he had his guard down now. We have placed Souichi in the dungeons, convincing him that we believe what Souichi said. Plus, after summoning the rock creature, his energy level is probably low."

"Is that why you wouldn't let Haruka defend Souichi back there?"

"Yes, could you tell her my intentions? I'm afraid that I haven't gotten the chance to speak with her as I promised." Neptina sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Neptina closed her eyes and shook her head. Urana couldn't help but notice that there were bags under Neptina's eyes, which was highly unusually for the usually composed

Urana's eyes softened as she looked at her exhausted friend. She had been through a lot today. Anyone in her place would have collapsed by now. "I'm sure you'll find him."

Neptina turned to Urana and nodded. The Queen felt reassured by Urana's words. They would find the person responsible for this and end it. Neptina lifted a hand to cover her mouth as she yawned. It was getting late. Shaking out her dress, Neptina rose to her feet. As she stood up, Neptina felt a wave of dizziness hit her and stumbled. Urana jumped up and held onto Neptina's waist.

"Are you alright?" Urana asked, her blue-green eyes shining with concern.

Neptina placed a hand on Urana's shoulder to steady herself. "I think I'm just tired."

Urana led Neptina back inside, feeling unsure as she looked at the glazed look in her partner's eyes.

Michiru stirred in her bed as the first rays of sunlight hit her face. Struggling to open her eyes, Michiru let out a small groan. Her entire body felt as heavy as concrete. Opening one eye, Michiru glanced around and found that she was in her room. The girl was confused at first. What had happened? Tilting her head to one side, the young woman breathed in the smell of clean laundry. Everything around her seemed normal. Michiru feebly lifted a bandaged arm. Glancing at it, Michiru was confused for a moment before realization finally dawned on her. Images of a battle drifted back into Michiru's mind. Haruka… where was Haruka? Was she… Michiru bolted up in her bed, causing the sheets on top of her to fall and reveal her bare shoulders and nightgown.

Wrapping her arms around her shoulders, Michiru gently placed her feet on to the cold, carpeted floor. Rising from the bed, Michiru felt her legs wobble beneath her and fell to her knees. The young girl grabbed hold onto the night table beside her bed.

Michiru heard someone enter the room and looked up sharply.

The Queen's eyes widened as she saw Michiru. "Michiru—"

"Where is Haruka?"

Neptina talked towards her daughter and lifted her off the floor. "She is resting in one of the guest rooms."

"She isn't hurt is she?"

"Princess Uranus has a few scratches and bruises but either than that, she is fine," Neptina said as she pressed Michiru back onto the bed. Stepping back, Neptina grabbed a chair and sat down on it so that she was facing Michiru.

Michiru breathed a sigh of relief as Neptina told her the news. Turning her head to face her mother, Michiru asked, "What happened to that rock creature? Is it gone?"

"Yes… it is gone."

The princess breathed in fresh smell of the newly changed bed sheets around her and relaxed in the warmth of the sheets around her. Everything was all right. The entire world seemed to be at peace yet something seemed wrong. Michiru rested her head against the pillow, thinking deeply. She could still sense her mother's presence beside her. The Queen never spent so much time with her because she was always pressed for time. Even when Michiru was sick, all her mother could do was sending in healers. Michiru shifted so that she was looking directly at her mother. She seemed so tired. Michiru could see bags under Queen Neptune's eyes and her usually tidy hair was loose and uncombed. Even the Queen's clothing was lacking the usually radiant appearance.

"You look tired," Michiru said softly.

Neptina smiled and shook her head. "It's been very busy during the past few days."

Michiru winced. "Was I sleeping for that long?"

Neptina nodded, looking slightly amused at Michriu's expression. "Everyone had been worried. Everyday a certain princess would come and visit you for hours against the wishes of the palace healers."

"Haruka…" Michiru smiled as she said the name. Suddenly, Michiru remembered something. Michiru lifted her head, looking directly into her mother's eyes and breathed deeply. "Mother…I want to talk to you about something."

Neptina raised an eyebrow.

"It's about Seiya and Haruka. I… I do not want to marry Seiya. I know I agreed to it before but I now realize that it would be a big mistake to marry Seiya. Seiya also disagrees with this arrangement. Please mother, could you reconsider?"

As Michiru told the Queen this, her eyes never left the older woman's face. Throughout the entire time, Neptina's face didn't betray any emotions or thoughts that passed through her. Michiru bit her lip, anxious to hear the reply. Seconds of silence passed by, yet it seemed like hours.

Sighing softly, Neptina leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. Memories of her wedding day with Asuran drifted back to her mind.

Neptina smiled sadly as she stared into the mirror. Behind her, maids scurried around like busy mice, arranging, rearranging and preparing for the big event to come. Four other maids surrounded Neptina, each working on a different part of the princess to prepare her for the wedding. Neptina sighed as a maid pinned up locks of marine colored hair. She had believed that the day a woman got married was the best one in her life. Why was she so miserable?

Neptina smiled bitterly as a maid asked her to turn her head so that she could add the blush on to her face. Another girl shuffled behind her, smoothing out folds in her dress.

"Hey, how are you doing Tina?"

The young woman saw her friend enter the room through the mirror and smiled softly. It looked like Urana had gone through a lot of trouble to look good for Neptina's wedding day. The Uranian disliked wearing formal clothing and would rather not go to an event than wear something like a gown. Neptina remembered a ball held at the Moon Palace where Urana had to be dragged to and then forced to wear an evening gown. Urana did wear casual skirts and dresses but the more formal things were just too much for her. Neptina was very amused, as she looked her friend over. Urana's shoulder length hair was decorated by a few sparkling hair clips and was neatly combed so that everything was in place. The blonde was also wearing a spaghetti strap dress that reached below her knees. Beside Urana, Ruby stood calmly by the door with her hair set in an elegant bun. Neptina noticed that Ruby's crimson colored dress matched beautifully with her eyes. Neptina's heart skipped a beat as she saw a young man with raven black hair entered the room. He wore a plain white tunic with black pants. His hair was neatly combed and his smile lit up the room.

"You look beautiful," Zhen commented, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His emerald eyes shined brightly as he looked over his friend. "Congratulations, Neptina."

Urana laughed and nudged the young man. "You look jealous. Maybe you should find someone soon."

Zhen raised an eyebrow at Urana and smirked. "You should take care of yourself first before telling me that."

Ruby laughed, her crimson colored eyes sparkling with laughter. "He's right you know. Neptina and I are already married. What about you?"

"I'm not married yet," Neptina interrupted, still examining her friends through the mirror. The marine haired princess sighed inwardly, wishing that she could be as carefree as her friends right now. It seemed that they didn't have anything to worry about at all.

"You will be in a few hours," Urana laughed and ran up to the marine haired princess. Placing an arm around Neptina's back, Urana smiled and looked at her friend in the mirror. "You'll still have time for us after you marry Asuran right?"

"Of course." Neptina shifted her eyes so that she was looking at Zhen. His deep emerald eyes seemed to be staring back at her in the mirror. Neptina's heart clenched painfully as Urana's earlier words reminded her about how little choice she had in this matter. Actually, she had no choice at all.

"Come on Ruby, Urana, we should stop bothering Neptina," Zhen said, waving them out the door.

Neptina felt Urana lift her arms off her shoulder.

"I'm not bothering anyone," Urana defended herself. Urana glanced at Neptina and thought she saw a spark of sadness flash across her partner's eyes. Urana faltered for a moment. Turning back to Zhen, she sighed softly in defeat. "All right Zhen. Let's go. Congratulations once again, Neptina."

Neptina nodded, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. A Neptunian princess must never show her weaknesses. A Neptunian princess must fulfill her duty and responsibilities. She couldn't reject this wedding. She couldn't be with the one she loved.

Zhen laughed as Urana dragged him out the room, complaining about him bothering everyone. Stopping by the doorway, Zhen looked back at Neptina and said sincerely, "I just wanted to wish you a happy wedding and hope that you will live happily with Asuran for the rest of your days."

Neptina nodded, unable to voice her thanks to her friend because she was afraid her voice would crack. She didn't want to marry Asuran. The one she loved was standing right behind her, yet she was unable to be with him.

She had been in Michiru's position and understood how her daughter felt. It would really be pitiful if the same mistake were to be repeated twice.

"Tell me, why did you change your mind Michiru?"

The aqua haired girl hesitated for a moment before replying. "I… I love Haruka."