A/N:
Sorry for the long delay, everyone! I admittedly had a lot of writer's block with this chapter even though I know where the story is going. It's super frustrating. On top of that, I got married, started a new job, and unfortunately got COVID last week. Positively, though, I was able to finish the chapter. I hope you enjoy, and I am going to try to get the next chapter out much faster this time!

Chapter 9: I'll choose you every time

Usagi knew her face betrayed her. She could feel the guilt screaming from her furrowed brow and wide eyes. Seiya's face, on the other hand, was shocked, but she could also see the confusion that laid deeper beneath it. Her eyes moved to Mamoru's. He was calm, as always, his feelings somehow masked beneath his confident demeanor. Usagi held her breath, wondering what he would say. Who would break the silence? What had already been said? Her heartbeat doubled in her chest.

Seiya was the first to speak. He smiled, sadly, his voice soft. "Usagi, I was worried." It was simple, yet heartbreaking in the way that it was apathetic. He wasn't angry or accusatory, just concerned for her safety.

Mamoru gave a knowing glance to Usagi. Her eyes darted between the two men before her as though she were a frightened kitten. If she could have run, she would have, but she was trapped in the mess she had made. Her hands trembled, her body suddenly cold and unfamiliar. She could feel her lips quiver as tears swelled through her lashes and down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Seiya," she cried, reaching for him. His arms opened to embrace her, and she went forward willingly. The confusion had her head spinning. With Seiya's arms wrapped around her she felt safe—comfortable. The familiarity had her head swirling again. Why would she just go to him after what she had done? How could she, right in front of Mamoru, after the sins they had committed? She couldn't look back at him for fear that his eyes would show the disappointment she already felt in herself...or was it the fear that she might turn back in an instant without a thought?

"I suppose we'll be going then," Seiya's voice was low and his body gently led Usagi to the door. "Thank you for taking care of her, Mamoru."

There was a tinge of pain that seared through Usagi's chest at Seiya's unknowing double entendre. She sneaked a short glance at Mamoru, her head turned downward like a misbehaving puppy. His expression was soft and neutral, at least that's surely how it seemed to Seiya, but now Usagi knew that he was longing for her. She had seen that look of longing before in their pasts—as his hand slipped from hers at a Moon Palace ball, as he walked away into the crowd at the airport, and even just moments earlier when she had rolled away from him in bed. Now that look revealed more to her, and it pained her to see it. Her eyes snapped back to the ground, her golden hair swaying slightly as her head followed in suit.

"See you around," Mamoru called after the couple as they exited his simple apartment.

Usagi took a deep breath, saying nothing, but stealing another quick glance behind her shoulder. The door had closed with a slight snap of the door latch. Mamoru's blue eyes were not there to steal another ciphered look at her even though in the pit of her stomach, that was what she had wanted.

The hallway from Mamoru's apartment was too long and quiet. It felt like each arduous step was a mile. Something called out for her, urging her to turn on her heel and ask Mamoru to let her in. It was like fear; a gnawing thought that if she did not go now that he would not exist tomorrow. She swallowed hard. Seiya's hand had moved around her, holding her waist firmly. His nimble fingers that were once all she had known to love her now felt foreign. Usagi shuddered and leaned into his touch, willing herself to remember him and their love.

"What happened back there?" Seiya asked. His voice sounded further than it should have, as if it was stretching through time and space to reach her. The muffled tones in her ears could have been anyone, she thought.

Usagi slowed her pace, separating herself from Seiya as she took in the world around her. He had taken them through the park, a longer route to his apartment that they usually took after school and on weekends. There was hardly anyone around. The light sparkled against the pond where herons stood perched on the banks. The trees and grass waved in the fresh, crisp air, a welcome scent compared to the asphalt of bustling Tokyo. Everything was a little quieter here, a little fresher, a little clearer.

"I remembered," she whispered.

Seiya made a soft noise of confusion first, before he exhaled a breathy oh in realization. "What did you remember?"

The park fell silent as if in preparation to hear Usagi's big reveal. "I had been forgetting about so much…. Mamoru. And me—that he and I were together when I met you…. But I don't know what happened to us." Usagi trailed off, afraid to look at Seiya.

"Ah. It was Mamoru, huh—the one that left." More silence. The tone of the words didn't sound surprised, just matter-of-fact. Usagi had stopped walking and Seiya was slightly ahead of her, waiting for her with his hands jammed into his pockets. He stood completely still, his eyes fearful as he began to put together the pieces of what she was saying. "What else do you remember?" It was a slightly odd question, but under the circumstances, surely Seiya was just as confused as she was. He said he had forgotten about Mamoru too.

Usagi ignored the question and posed her own. It was timid, fearful that if she said it aloud everything that was left standing in her normal world would come crumbling down. "Do you ever feel like this is all a dream?" Her eyes stayed fixated toward the sky, but at the same time, her gaze somehow fell beyond the azure façade of the earth. She knew there was so much more beyond the blue that was reflected back into her eyes—that it was just a lie created under circumstances that hid the unending expanse of stars and planets and the universe beyond. Usagi exhaled quietly. "...like we weren't meant to be? That it's too good to be true?"

She could hear the breath of disbelief escape Seiya's lips; she didn't have to look into his eyes to know the emotion they were showing. He scoffed. "W-what do you mean, Usagi?" There was hurt, she knew, and not only that, but betrayal, surprise, fear…. They were adjectives unfitting for Seiya Kou, the normally confident and outgoing superstar, yet when it came to her, he was different. He could be everything or nothing in an instant; it was the effect she had on him, and she knew it.

"Usagi, what are you talking about?" His voice interrupted her selfish thoughts again.

She met his eyes with her own, and smiled weakly, sadly. He could never understand. Even if she explained it, who would believe her? The life she led now was not of this human world. She was no longer of this planet, she knew, and she could feel the difference down to the microscopic cells that patched her body together. When she had become Sailor Moon and regained her memories, everything had reformed. Usagi had been baptized by the power of the moon that she had been born under, and when she reemerged, the person who replaced her was not the Usagi Seiya had ever known. Perhaps now she was no longer of Seiya's world either. "I don't know...let's just forget—"

"No!" There was a sudden desperation in Seiya's voice. His long legs strode toward her, an apparent unraveling in his mind became transparent through his eyes. "Usagi!" His hands laid on her shoulders as his eyes searched for her. He was trying to find her, to bring her back. He could feel her slipping from his grasp.

Usagi knew she was fading. She felt it at Mamoru's apartment. Even when she was trying to come back to Seiya, she could feel their connection thinning, the red string being pulled taut by new forces that had never existed before. Under Seiya's blue eyes, a color familiar yet now reflective of a place she had never seen, she could feel herself coming back, as if they were a beacon leading her home again.

"Your eyes," Usagi whispered, "they're not the sea or the sky. They're something else I think...a cooler star in the galaxy." Her hand reached out to touch his face. It was warm under her fingers, just a bit cooler than Mamoru. Seiya's brows furrowed just a touch, trying to understand what she was saying, but he couldn't comprehend the comparisons she was making.

The water in Seiya's eyes wavered in the light of dusk. "Usagi, listen to me." Her eyes met his, still a little distant. She felt dissociated, not yet back to herself, but she could see Seiya there before her. He held her hand and brought it to his chest. His heart's frantic beat beneath the tips of her finger and underneath his clothing; it matched his fearful, desperate gaze. "Even if this was just a cruel joke that the world played on me, and we truly weren't meant to be...I would still cherish every single minute—no, every single second that I had to touch your warm skin. I would cherish each laugh that I had heard ring out from that beautiful mouth, like an angel calling me from this earth—each syllable of my name that you said that had sent a million tingles through my body even though I'd heard it a thousand times, and each knowing glance you had given me that showed you knew me better than I knew myself." Seiya pulled Usagi's hand up and against his lips for just a moment, his eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall. "I am yours—I know this to be true, now and always...for as long as you'll have me."

Seiya rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closing as a silence fell around them. The world slowed again like it always had before when he was near. Everything almost felt like it used to. When he spoke again, it was just a whisper, "Please, if you're going away from me—" his voice wavered this time, the tears hiding just below the surface, "please let me know. Don't let me wonder if I'm losing you."

Now Usagi was the one with tears brimming at her lashes. She wanted to be honest, but she didn't know herself. "I think," she whispered, "I need time." Seiya's eyes opened once more, sad and sullen. There was a disconnect, a breaking of the string that held them together. It had already been pulled taut between the fighting forces of fate and love, fraying at the middle, threatening to split at the slightest change in pressure—and that old pocket watch was the final weight to unravel it all. Usagi could feel the sudden emptiness between them. It was almost as if she stood on the other side of the universe while Seiya watched her from afar. But he was still there, just as he had always been—his black hair disheveled, his blue eyes always warm and kind but just a little unlike this earth.

Without realizing it, Usagi's hand was reaching out for him once more. Seiya took her small hand in his own, his fingers warm against her wrist, sending a little tingle through her arm. She could feel the comfort that radiated there, just like there had been that night when he held her at the dance club. When she looked at him again, the old Seiya Kou was standing before her once more, his confident smile beaming at her.

"That's enough for me," Seiya whispered. His devilish grin always swept her away, but she could tell he was still a little raw and reeling from her sudden confession. He pulled her close against him and began walking with her, his arm draped around her waist. "Mamoru may have had you first, but I think I won your heart."

Everything was suddenly normal again. Usagi scoffed, crossing her arms. "Hey, now! Now that I remember, it makes a little more sense. Mamoru was gone when you came on to me! That's why I turned you down so many times." She raised an eyebrow at Seiya who looked into the sky, grinning.

"Well, that's what happens when someone leaves you alone like that," Seiya joked back, an arrogant jab just slightly peeking from under the playful tone of his voice.

It was a joke, but an emptiness seared through Usagi like a spear. She stopped in her tracks, suddenly a little angry. "Mamoru wouldn't have left me if there wasn't a reason." There was no proof of that aside from the feelings deep in the pit of her soul. She hardly knew Mamoru. The scattered memories she had were not enough to prove one thing or the other, but she knew not even he was cruel enough to leave her with no explanation. The emptiness in her chest grew, burning her through her stomach and spreading to the tips of her fingers and toes. It was all-consuming, leaving nothing in its wake but fear and sadness.

Seiya frowned, his hand loosening around Usagi's waist. He was pulling away, just a little, just like Usagi had moments before. It was too confusing, but the thought of losing Seiya seemed like too much. Shame and guilt washed over her in an instant, suddenly melding with the emptiness that lingered.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, accompanied by a sad smile. "Let's get you home then."

They walked in silence for the remainder of the walk home. Seiya's fingers lingered at the edge of Usagi's waist, timid and maybe a little afraid of losing her. Usagi silently prayed in some masochistic way that he wouldn't let go while at the same time wondering what Mamoru was thinking about. This was the painful web that her life had suddenly weaved; what had once been beautiful, silken patterns glistening in the morning dew had become erratic and undefined, collecting the dust of bygone times within its grasp. She was caught, struggling to undo the plans that had been set for her, or perhaps to even understand the intricacies that might become clear somewhere in a different viewpoint. Time was running out, she thought, and surely the approach of something worse was coming to take her from both worlds of Seiya and Mamoru.

Seiya stopped, the warmth of his fingers leaving her waist. "Well, I guess this is it." He faced her, his lips turning upward in a sad, lopsided smile. There was a little awkwardness, just like the first time he had kissed her outside of her house—a permission asked and given without words. He leaned in close to Usagi, his fingers grazing her chin to lift her mouth upward before his lips fell on her cheek in one short, electric kiss.

Usagi swallowed, a new kind of sadness filling her soul. For the first time ever, she felt like she saw Seiya. His aura bright yet fleeting, like a star fighting not to go out. How she had never seen it before, was a mystery. It enveloped him. His actions, the blink of his long lashes, the way the words left his lips…they left Usagi waiting on the edge to wonder whether he would thrive as a light that called out to the universe, or if he would go out in one final, bright fireball that consumed itself in the blaze.

The entire moment felt melodramatic; a goodbye that was unnecessary, yet Usagi knew that it truly could be. She pouted just a little, "It's not a goodbye."

Again, Seiya smiled. It seemed a little skeptical, a little less genuine, but also hopeful. "I know, I know." He waved his hand light heartedly, but his expression didn't match his tone. His aura dimmed. It was as if he was the sun and as the earth passed between them, no light could reach the moon below.

"Seiya, it isn't over," Usagi said softly, her eyes soft again. "We always have hope. There's always a chance." She reached out to touch his chest. There was a warmth there, growing. He had a lot left to give. "I don't want your light to go out."

Truly, that is what Seiya was—a beacon. In all of this, he had always led Usagi to safety. Perhaps he didn't lead her home, but to a home away from home. Without him, without his light to recharge her own, perhaps she wouldn't have made it to today. She could remember the pain of Mamoru's absence clearly, even without the cause, but even more so, she could remember how Seiya had filled her up with love.

"I love you, Seiya."

There was silence as Usagi held her breath. She swallowed hard as Seiya gave her one last half-hearted smile.

"I'll always love you," Seiya said, his voice cracking just a little, "and that's the difference between me and you." He turned away and began to walk. The abruptness of his anger shocked Usagi, leaving her jaw dropped and eyes wide.

"That's not true Seiya! Even if we couldn't exist this way, I would still love you."

Seiya turned to Usagi, his facade finally broken down and the true hurt he felt showing across his face. "Usagi, you need time, and I need it too. This is a lot all of a sudden." He sighed, frustrated, but also a little resigned. "I'll just...I'll talk to you tomorrow."

With that, he turned away again and walked away, his black ponytail trailing behind him. In the wake of the new loneliness that had settled in his absence, Usagi let her tears fall again. Her knees buckled, causing her to fall at the gate before her house. All of the world seemed to be overwhelmingly abuzz. She could hear the cicadas' cries from the trees, feel the heat of the sun-baked sidewalk beneath her, and smell the lingering scent of Seiya's cologne, but of all the things she could feel, hear, and see, the invisible string that connect them was no longer one of them.

~oOo~

The next day Usagi woke on her own accord, the sun barely cresting over the trees. Her room was filled with the red glow of the sun, its brilliant light painting everything it touched. She wasn't sure why she had thought that everything would be normal when she woke, but the lingering emptiness of the previous evening remained. Part of her longed to see Mamoru, to be reassured by his calm and comfortable demeanor, but the other wished she had woken up in Seiya's warm and familiar arms. She imagined him saying something ridiculous, her head falling back into the pillow as she laughed, and his warm lips following quickly after to shower her with affection.

There was no one beside her now, though, and Usagi frowned at her clock which ticked softly at her bedside. The hands had nearly met at the bottom while the second hand continued onward in its loop. It was far too early to be awake, but at the same time it reminded her of the many calls she had made to Mamoru when he had moved to America. Her body moved on its own, slowly. Every movement took effort—the act of even pushing away the covers was grueling. With each bend of a joint, even the smallest ones in her fingers, she felt like she was pushing through a thousand pounds of weight.

Eventually her dread-heavy limbs made their way to the phone. She stared at the white plastic for a long time, her hand hovering over it, afraid to commit to whatever step she took next. Mamoru's phone number was suddenly in her head. She repeated it to herself aloud, the memory bringing with it a slew of others. The muffled echo of his voicemail picked up in her mind as her whispers of his number trailed off, "Hello, this is Chiba's residence. I can't answer the phone since I'm studying abroad. If you need to reach me, please call me at my apartment where I'm studying." Tears welled into her eyes.

"Mamoru, why didn't you call?" Usagi whispered to herself, her voice becoming a little more broken with each syllable. Seiya's words from yesterday had left their mark, more than she had realized. "Why didn't you write to me or tell me what was happening? Why can't I remember?" Her hand pulled away from the phone, her fist falling back to rest against her heart. Perhaps things would be easier if she could remember; if she could know what had happened between them to begin with and why Seiya had swept her away. Seiya had been right about one thing, surely—that he had won her heart somehow. Even though she had loved Mamoru, she loved Seiya now, even if it felt as though the entire universe had suddenly come together to tell her that they were not meant to be.

Usagi's hand moved back to the phone, shaking a split moment before picking up the receiver and dialing. The line rang. Usagi waited patiently, listening intently to the sound through the phone. It rang again. Her breath caught in her throat. Another ring. The emptiness of the ringing was all too reminiscent of the early mornings she spent calling Mamoru. All of a sudden, there was a click. Usagi took a short inhale, glad that the call was finally answered, but instead came a short silence followed by Seiya's chipper voice.

"Yo! It's Seiya. You know what to do!" There was a beep and then silence. Usagi struggled to speak, the feeling that her past was suddenly repeating itself in a new way, suffocating her. Her jaw moved, urging the sounds to come. They finally did, softly, "Seiya, I'm sorry about yesterday. I need to talk to you about something. Call me back, please. I love you."

Usagi set the receiver back down and stared at it, feeling the old familiar pain of waiting for a call that would never come start to creep up her chest. It was likely he was asleep, or maybe he was out of the house. Surely Seiya wasn't so angry that he would ignore her calls. It was seven in the morning…. She turned from the phone, slowly, when it suddenly rang, causing her to jump. Her heart pounded in her chest as she quickly picked up the phone. That had to be him!

"Hello, Tsukino residence," she said softly. There was a soft gasp of surprise on the other end.

"Ah, Usagi, you're awake! Sorry to call so early." It was Mamoru's deep voice on the other line. A strange sense of relief washed over Usagi. It wasn't Seiya, but somehow it felt like it was an attempt at redemption for all those years he never called. "I know this is ridiculous, I'm not sure why I even called. I couldn't sleep. I just haven't been able to stop thinking about all of this." He suddenly stopped. "Are you free this morning?."

Mamoru's calm and confident voice could surely talk Usagi into anything, but she hesitated for a moment. If Seiya called she wanted to be available. "I can, but I'm expecting a call later," she blurted. She should stay home and wait, she thought, but if she had learned anything, it was that she barely had control of herself anymore.

"Great, I'll come pick you up," Mamoru's smooth voice ended the call with a short 'see ya!' before the line went quiet once more.

Usagi dressed slowly, the phone receiver by her the entire time. She waited for Seiya's call, but it never came. By the time Mamoru arrived, a heaviness had settled in Usagi's heart, and any hope that she had that he was just sleeping had left her. He wasn't going to call; she knew it because she knew Seiya. He wasn't one to let a person drag him around. He had options—he was always either dead set on something or completely apathetic. Now Usagi was just another one of his groupies, calling at insane hours and leaving desperate messages on his phone.

"Usagi, Mamoru is here!" Ikuko called from downstairs. Usagi sulked down the stairs, calling out that she was coming. When she arrived Ikuko was laughing, and Mamoru had the typical look of slight discomfort that he used to when he was around her parents. A slight smile lifted on Usagi's face as she recalled all of the times Mamoru's would worry about how they must not trust an older man with their daughter. He had never been anything but gentlemanly, and her parents loved him. But he never believed it. The true wolf in sheep's clothing had always been Seiya—he had whisked her away, taking her off to late night trysts and playing up his charm to win over her parents. They were none the wiser.

That was always the difference between the two of them. Mamoru had always played by the rules. He was stern, careful, and safe, while Seiya was rowdy, adventurous, and always toeing the line. In many ways, Mamoru was her perfect foil—a responsible protector who evened out her ditzy, lackadaisical ways. But Seiya—he was the movie romance—the hard and fast feelings that consumed everything. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe she and Seiya could only keep the excitement going for as long as the tinder lasted. Maybe it wasn't sustainable.

"…why, I didn't know you were back from America! Usagi never told us. It's been so long, Mamoru…" Ikuko chattered excitedly at Mamoru, who was chuckling lightly as he politely entertained her.

"Ah, there she is!" Mamoru said smiling and his blue eyes sparkling at her in a way she hadn't seen in a long time. "Good morning, bun head!"

Usagi's eyebrows shot up at the nickname. It took her back to when they first met, long before Seiya's replacement, dumpling. There was a tinge of happiness at first, followed by orneriness. It was just like when they had first met.

"Hey, hey," she grumbled, sticking out her tongue. A giggle escaped her lips and a smirk flashed across Mamoru's face. For some reason that perfect smile made a pink blush trail across her cheeks and neck which only caused Mamoru's lips to widen.

"Well, be safe you two! Thanks for getting Usagi out of the house before nine, Mamoru. You know how she likes to sleep in…" Ikuko winked before sending the two out the door.

The two walked in silence from the door toward the street. There was the tension from the previous day, along with the draw of seeing one another again today. Usagi snuck a glance sideways to Mamoru just for her to see him looking back at her, a look of admiration in his eyes. They barely reached the sidewalk before Mamoru suddenly turned to her and gathered her into a hug. Without a thought, Usagi's hands moved to wrap around his back, holding onto his shirt. There was an urgency in the action, but no desperation from Mamoru—Usagi could only feel her own desperation seeping through her fingertips that tried to cling to whatever they could: the comfort, the fleeting moment, Mamoru. He placed a warm kiss on top of her hair, his lips resting there for a short moment to take in the smell of her hair.

"Mamoru, they'll see us…" Usagi whispered, not sure how she would explain any of this to anyone, but not wanting it to end at the same time. Since she had found him, she was stuck in the limbo of wanting him but feeling shame for even feeling it.

Mamoru's lips were close to her ear when he spoke next, "When you walked down those stairs, it was like I was seeing you for the first time again in the Silver Millennium." His warm breath against head sent shivers down her spine. "You're beautiful, Usako. That blush and your smile…I would do anything to make you smile, to make you happy."

Usagi held tight to Mamoru, but he stepped back looking down at her. She suddenly longed to kiss him again as she stared into his deep, blue eyes, a reflection of the earth that she had seen from the moon so long ago. She knew he wanted the same, but for some reason the kiss never came. He looked away from her instead, a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry. I'm selfish," he whispered. "I love you, Usako. I love you enough to know that this isn't the way to help you make your decision. We don't have to talk about yesterday, let's just enjoy getting to know one another again." Mamoru looked back up at Usagi and smiled. Suddenly there was a warmth that replaced the desperation gnawing inside her. Even if things weren't easy, Mamoru's kindness, his thoughtfulness…they overshadowed it all. If anything was for certain, it was that he truly did love her.

Mamoru took Usagi's hand lightly into his own, leading her to his motorcycle. He handed her a helmet before stepping over his bike and putting on his own. He patted behind him on the seat, and Usagi clambered up behind him, holding him tight around the waist, his warmth permeating her chest. She smiled to herself, feeling that perhaps things were starting to fall into place.

The two arrived at a small café that served coffee and little cakes out on a patio. Mamoru offered to get whatever Usagi wanted, and so they sat down to order. Mamoru ordered a cup of coffee with cream and a lemon cake. It seemed so sophisticated in comparison to her own order, Usagi though. Her plate arrived with a carrot cake shaped like a bunny and a latte piled high with whipped cream. As the morning sun grew higher, they chatted about life and all the things they had missed since Mamoru had boarded the plane to go to the United States.

During a short moment of quiet, Usagi finally got the courage to ask the one question that had been burning in her mind since yesterday. "Mamoru," Usagi began softly, "when you were in the U.S., what were you doing?" She looked into his eyes, searching them for any clue, any expression that might give away anything that had happened before.

Mamoru made a confused sound, looking up from his coffee mid sip. He leaned forward a bit, not understanding.

"Of all the things I can't understand, that is the one I keep coming back to. Why did you never call me back? Why did you never write?" The pain of the year Mamoru left welled up in her chest. Her voice cracked ever so lightly, the sound of teetering on the edge of breaking. "It doesn't make any sense."

Mamoru's face was serious as he made eye contact with Usagi. "Usagi, it's like I was after the wreck. I don't remember. The entire year was a blur. There are fragments of memories that show up, but none of it makes any sense." He reached out a hand to hold Usagi's. He swallowed, his eyes revealing that he wasn't lying. "Part of me feels like I wasn't there—like I wasn't anywhere on this earth. I—"

Suddenly there was a commotion. Usagi looked around, but couldn't see anything. Next door, people began screaming and a table flew past her, sliding on its side down the sidewalk. A few people ran past them, screaming about a monster nearby, urging others to run. Usagi stood quickly, reaching for her brooch. In a split second, Mamoru had stepped in front of her, his arm outstretched and a rose between his fingers. He glanced back at her with a now familiar look in his eyes. She'd seen it so many times before: in the Silver Millennium when he looked back for the final time before racing off to fight Metallia, when he sacrificed himself to block Kunzite's attack, and at the concert when he barely knew her. Every time she saw that look, those eyes ready to protect her, she wondered if it might be the last she ever saw him.

No matter the fear Usagi had, Mamoru was fearless. "I guess it's time to fight," he whispered back to her as a monster with brilliantly yellow skin shrieked, it's body growing and stretching into the sky like rubber.

The monster's head turned upside down as it screeched again. A laugh bellowed out from its throat in a way that seemed impossible considering the way its head was twisted. It's bright green eyes brightened, and its pupils grew large and black, nearly taking over all of the iris. "Oh, I'm not here for her," it hissed. A knobby, yellow finger uncurled itself from the monster's palm and pointed straight to Mamoru. "I'm here for you."

A/N:
It's about time someone comes after Mamo-chan, am I right?! Check out the next chapter to see what happens to Mamoru, where Seiya is...and soooo much more!