Chapter 7
Sitting down on a bench not too far from where his car was parked, Koichi motioned for Jun to do the same.
Jun thought about it for a short moment but in the end decided to remain standing.
Koichi didn't insist upon it. His sitting position seemed casual, with his feet crossed at the ankles and one arm resting on the back of the bench with his chin resting on top of his fingers. Apparently, he was also in no rush to speak; Jun had no idea how much time had passed, but it felt like forever as Koichi gazed at him in silence.
Despite the cold weather, cold sweat trickled down Jun's back, as if he were a child who'd been caught doing something naughty—and it had nothing to do with the scene he'd just accidentally witnessed.
While his memories of his past life were minimal, he had a gut feeling that Jadeite was more afraid of his leader than of his liege.
"I trust you have a good reason for turning down the offer to return to our King's side," Koichi finally said.
There it was.
Jun swallowed but remained silent. Thankfully, he had his hands in his pockets, so the man sitting on the bench couldn't see him clenching his fists just a bit tighter to stop himself from shaking. It was as if he was trained to do so—or maybe he had been, in his past life—but he knew, even if he had arguments to defend himself with, he shouldn't speak without permission when Kunzite had that face on.
"Explain yourself."
"I didn't turn down the offer. I just … needed some time to think about it."
"That's as close as it could get to a rejection. Both the King and Mars had been gracious enough to offer you a place to return to his side, and you're telling me that you need time to think about it?" Koichi asked.
"I've betrayed him."
Koichi raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't that make it more of a reason to return to his side to protect him?"
"But what if I fall prey to the dark powers again? I don't even fully remember what happened back then. What if it happens again?" Jun asked.
A derisive sound left Koichi's lips. "So on top of being a traitor, you've decided to take on the title of a coward, too? That's not the way you were trained, Jadeite."
Jun opened his mouth before shutting it.
"You can excuse yourself for being a traitor because we were all tricked by Beryl and then brainwashed. But what are your excuses for being a coward?" Koichi asked, placing his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. "If you continue running away, you do not deserve your titles, Jadeite, even if you add 'former' in front of them. What did I tell you the first time you fell down while running?"
Jun had no recollections, but the words came out before he could think, as if they had been hammered into his subconscious: "Get up and continue running."
Koichi nodded. "And what are you doing now?"
Staying on the ground. Staring at the wounds as if they would heal miraculously on their own.
Koichi got up from the bench and walked over to where Jun was standing. "We are fortunate enough that there aren't any enemies in sight right now. But I cannot be beside Endy right now." His eyes flickered over to his car before he refocused his gaze on Jun. "While I do not doubt the Sailor Senshi's ability to protect both him and the Queen, there is never harm in having an extra pair of hands, and if anything, you should return as soon as possible in order to train with them. This will be the first time you're working with them, and coordination will take time."
Jun couldn't find the right words to say. To say that he wasn't affected by Koichi's words would be a lie, but he knew he still needed a bit more time to digest everything.
He needed some kind of reconciliation with his past.
Koichi took one last look at him before turning around to walk towards his car.
Jun snapped out his reverie, and the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop himself, "I don't know why Minako-san doesn't want you to go back to his side, but I don't think it's because of … what happened in our past lives."
Koichi halted in his steps, his back stiff. He didn't turn around, and it took him a while before he spoke.
"Your skills are regressing. Even without training, the way you handled that ringing cell phone was appalling."
Jun could only stare as the man continued back to his car.
Why did he think it was a good idea to help his leader return to Endymion's side?
~-0-~
He was running.
He'd been here, many times in the past, but for the first time, the trees that surrounded him felt like demons from hell, as if each branch were limbs trying to reach out and grab him. He no longer knew if it were his imagination or because they truly had been infused with dark powers.
His eyes landed on Zoisite, who was running in front of him, and he felt more than saw Nephrite behind him, heavy footfalls pounding against the forest floor. The three of them were the only source of sound in the forest, and it unsettled Jadeite.
Would they get out of this alive? Jadeite didn't know. He didn't have time to think. For the first time since he'd become one of the Shitennou, maybe for the first time in his life, he wanted to crawl back into his bed and pretend that none of this had ever happened, that he could wake up in the morning to find all of this a bad nightmare.
But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't break down or give up. He still needed to return to his Prince's side.
His lungs burned, and he knew half of it was because of the bad condition his body was already in before they came here.
A wry smile appeared on his face. Perhaps Mars had been right to reject him. He was weak for allowing himself to wallow in sorrow. Not that he could've known this would happen, but it wasn't an excuse.
Kunzite wouldn't have accepted that excuse.
He felt like keeling over and retching, but he knew that wouldn't be helpful. Not in a situation like this. Perhaps there was still a way to save … everything, return everything back to normal. He'd heard stories from Endy about how Queen Serenity and the Silver Crystal had immense power. Perhaps she could save Kunzite.
His eyes blurred, and a root of a tree caught his foot. Before he slammed into the ground, Nephrite caught him, propping him upwards with an arm around Jadeite's middle.
"I'll only be a burden to you. Go, with Zoisite. Go back to Endy, and go look for Queen Serenity," Jadeite panted.
"You're insane if you think I'm leaving you behind," Nephrite said through gritted teeth. "They'll have to kill me before I lose another brother tonight."
Suddenly, a yelp came from ahead as Zoisite crashed into an invisible barrier. He fell to the floor, groaning in pain, while Nephrite and Jadeite hurried forward to help him up.
A sinking feeling festered in Jadeite's gut. It didn't matter if it were now powered by dark energy, he would recognize Kunzite's barriers anywhere. The imposter had even learned Kunzite's powers—he refused to believe that the person zeroing in on them was their leader, their brother.
He glanced at Nephrite, noticing how his eyes were red, though Jadeite had no idea if it were from sadness or anger. Zoisite's body was stiff, and his breaths came out in a strange manner, almost as if he were trying to hold back tears.
As "Kunzite" materialized in front of them, Nephrite tightened his grasp around Jadeite and Zoisite as he glared at the person bearing the face of the man all three of them had once looked up to.
~-0-~
Darkness surrounded him. He felt like he had been dropped into a room filled with tar. He could breathe just fine, but it felt more labored than usual. He had long since given up on trying to move or find his way out. Jadeite had no idea how long he'd been here, but the mental games he'd gone through made it feel like a lifetime.
Whoever it was had taken the forms of those he cared about—Endymion, Nephrite, Zoisite, Kunzite, Mars—trying to sway him over, trying to convince him to accept the darkness and swear his loyalty to Queen Beryl and, through her, Queen Metallia. So far, he'd won the battles.
But he had no idea when he would lose the war.
"Jadeite."
The voice made him freeze, if only for a second. Years of training had hammered into his mind the importance of masking one's emotions. This was important in front of strangers, and even more crucial when facing enemies.
However, when that familiar face stepped into view, that face that held just a hint of mischief behind all that kindness, he could only stare.
Pain surged through his heart. Despite knowing that being too emotional would give just another opening for the darkness to tempt him, he couldn't bring himself to get a hold of himself.
Nobody knew his mentor, the man who had taught him things and cared for him before he became personal guard to Prince Endymion, not even his family members.
Nobody, except his fellow Shitennou.
Confusion joined the pain torturing his mind, as he wondered what had happened.
Had one of his brothers betrayed him?
"You've lost your way, Jadeite," his mentor said as he hobbled over to where Jadeite was being held. "The witches from the skies had cast a spell on you, planting the seed of sin into your heart, and making you shun everything that could bring you back to the correct path. It's time to let go, my apprentice."
Jadeite shut his eyes, refusing to look at the person in front of him. It must be another illusion. Or maybe it was like the situation with "Kunzite", where it was another monster bearing the face of someone he held close to his heart.
His body shook when the old man placed a hand on his face, patting it in the soothing way he had always done.
"It's time to let go," the old man repeated. "How will you protect this world if you continue to be enchanted by Sailor Mars? How will you regain your mind if you've lost your soul?"
No, no, this couldn't be his mentor. His mentor had been optimistic towards Queen Serenity's intent towards the Golden Kingdom. Never once had he ever called them "witches from the skies".
~-0-~
"That … monster brought you over to their side using his face. They've used your weakness against you."
Unbidden, those words Rei had said to the old man the other day came to him, even while he was still submerged in his dream. It triggered something within him, turning what had been a simple memory into something much more.
~-0-~
"You are not my mentor."
The old man stared at him blankly, the smile frozen in place.
Jun had always been a bystander when he had dreams—or should they be called memories?—like this. For the first time, however, he was no longer just watching.
"I remember now," he said. "You are only an illusion, created by Beryl to feed me lies. You're not real."
The Jadeite in the past had suspected this but had never confirmed it. But he, Jun Yoshida, knew the truth now, though it took deaths and destruction to bring him to where he was right now.
But he knew … it was time to let go. The thought of betraying his liege again, whether being brainwashed or not, was as horrifying as it was embarrassing.
And he wouldn't let it happen again.
Suddenly, his surroundings fogged, and when it cleared, he saw a man who looked exactly like him, except with colder eyes and a twisted smirk on his face.
"You'll never escape from the past. You will end up killing Mars one day and turning your back on Endymion again."
Jun stared at him, wondering for a moment if this Jadeite were a creation of his mind or the manifestation of the last bits of dark energy that had been infused in him by Beryl and Metallia.
He feared the future. There were no doubts about it. He still was afraid. However, Koichi was right. If he continued to stay in the same place due to his fear, then he had learned nothing from the past.
He would still be the same weak person he was in his past life.
When a smile found its place on Jun's face, it was one that held a sense of peace and hope.
"Nobody can escape from their past," Jun conceded. "But the future will always be held in our own hands. I can't guarantee that I will never fail again, but if I fail for the same reasons, then I didn't live up to my title as a Shitennou and do not deserve to even be near my Master, my Prince, my King again."
~-0-~
Jun opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling, and it took him a moment to realize that he was no longer in the past. He was safely lying on a futon inside Hikawa Shrine.
His last days as General Jadeite of the Golden Kingdom had been in captivity, filled with days and nights of torture. The final straw to break the camel's back had been when they'd sent a monster bearing his mentor's face.
He had fallen into their hands, physically and emotionally weakened at that time—Queen Beryl had chosen the perfect moment to target him back then. It had been so easy to plant doubt and fear into his mind, believing that his brothers had betrayed him, and after days of persuasion by the monster pretending to be his mentor, he fell from grace.
He still didn't know how the Dark Kingdom had learned about his mentor, and he probably would never know, but if the information had come from one of the other Shitennou, he now understood that they must've done so unintentionally. After all, he himself had done things he regretted as well and would've never done if he hadn't been controlled.
Such as luring his real mentor over to the Dark Kingdom and allowing him to become one of the Seven Great Youma.
He rubbed his face with one hand as he patted around for his phone to check the time.
Getting up from the futon, he got out of bed and went through his morning daily routine before going out to search for the old man. It was still early, but the old man always had the habit of waking up early.
Jun's eyes softened when they landed on the old man, who was up and sweeping the courtyard. With each step he took forward, Jun's mind conjured up images of what might be scenes that had occurred between Jadeite and his mentor—or maybe they were simply fabrications of Jun's mind. But it didn't matter to Jun any longer.
One shouldn't dwell in the past if they wanted to create a brighter future.
The old man was humming a song when he turned around and found Jun standing a couple of feet away from him. "Oh! Jun-chan! Good morning."
Jun knelt down and bowed with his head to the ground to the old man, causing a look of surprise to appear on the latter's face.
"Jun-chan!"
"I'm sorry," Jun said, his eyes closed and a solemn expression on his face.
And thank you, for … everything.
Jun left that unspoken. He would show his gratitude in the future. After all, he wasn't going anywhere soon.
The old man didn't immediately answer. After a short moment, he hobbled forward and helped Jun up, his eyes filled with tears.
"Welcome home."
Yes. He was finally home.
~-0-~
Jun didn't know why he hadn't asked Rei or even Minako. Perhaps it was out of embarrassment, but really, it seemed a bit silly, even to him, when he walked into Old Oak Tree to ask Makoto to contact the Queen and King for him.
Especially when he saw Naoto at the counter.
"You again. What do you want this time?"
Okay, it was a very stupid idea to ask Makoto.
Thankfully, Makoto came out of the kitchen with a chocolate cake in hand just at the right moment, saving him from having to answer. She whacked Naoto on the arm with a towel as she walked past him.
"Stop trying to scare him."
Jun blinked when a smile tugged at the corners of Naoto's lips.
"It was funny while it lasted," Naoto said, trying to get close to Makoto as she placed the cake into the display, just for her to slap his hands away.
"Shoo," she said before she turned towards Jun. "You seem happier."
"Just … figured out some problems." Jun gave her a smile, but his eyes drifted over to Naoto a couple of times as curiosity stirred in his mind.
Despite the smile on Naoto's face, Jun thought he saw a flicker of suspicion in those dark brown eyes.
"I ran out of flour—" Makoto started to say.
"I'll go buy it!"
Within seconds, Naoto was out of the door, leaving behind a bewildered Jun.
"He doesn't remember," Makoto explained. "His past life, that is. But the Queen and King say that it's probably best this way, for everything to happen naturally rather than shove it upon him. He's applying for the position of palace guard right now, and we don't know what's the best way to tell him 'Hey, how about you become one of the King's personal guards like right now?' without it leading to his ego becoming even more inflated than it already is."
Jun snorted. "Good luck with that."
Makoto shrugged, a small smile on her face. "Koichi-san's problem, not mine. So … what brings you here?"
Jun chuckled. "I thought you knew, since you made Naoto-san go pick up flour for you."
"I actually don't know. I just figured it'll be easier to get him to go away before you start speaking, just in case it is something you didn't want him to know about," Makoto admitted.
"I … I've thought about the Queen and King's offer … their offer for me to return to the King's side," Jun said.
"Oh." Makoto stood up a bit straighter, seriousness appearing on her face.
"If they would .. want me back, I would be honored to serve his majesty and her majesty once more," Jun said.
Makoto paused for a moment before pumping a fist in the air and whooping. "I'm sure Serenity and Endymion will be ecstatic! Serenity had been preparing for your return ever since we've learned that the four of you came back. She would be so happy about this news, and really, it's just another reason for her to throw a party in the castle." She paused for a second. "But … why didn't you just tell Rei-chan? I thought you're living at Hikawa Shrine right now."
"I … don't even know," Jun admitted a bit sheepishly. "I made up my mind in the morning. When I realized I didn't know how to contact the Queen and King, I just … came here instead of asking Rei-san."
"Hm … Do you still think she hated you? In your past life, that is." She gazed at him for a while before sighing. "Look, I'm not her, so I won't go as far as to say that she was attracted to you back then or anything like that. But there's one thing that I'm absolutely sure about and that is she didn't hate you. She never did, and sometimes, I get the feeling that she cared about you."
Jun stared at her, at a loss of what to say.
Makoto patted him on the shoulder before going inside the kitchen. "I'll be right back. Gotta let Serenity and Endymion know that you're ready to get back into action."
Jun took that as a cue to look after the counter for her. Unfortunately, Naoto, who was carrying six sacks of flour on his shoulders, came back before she made a reappearance. Though Naoto didn't threaten him again, Jun couldn't help but feel that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
It felt like he was sitting on needles while he waited for Makoto, and he secretly let out a sigh of relief when she reappeared to inform him that things would still need some preparation and they would contact him about the date. Something, presumably one of her kitchen appliances, went off in the kitchen, and when she went back into the kitchen, Jun bade goodbye to Naoto and quickly left Old Oak Tree.
"Jun-san! Jun-san!"
He heard his name called when he was about a street down from the café. He turned around and saw Makoto running up to him.
"Why did you leave so quickly?" Makoto asked before a look of realization dawned on her face. "It's because of that bear, isn't it?"
"Not really—"
Makoto waved off the rest of his words. "Anyway, that's not what I caught up to you for. Serenity made me promise that I won't forget to tell you this time again. You know that vow of chastity thing Mars made in her past life?"
Jun nodded slowly, not certain why she was bringing this up again.
A brilliant smile appeared on Makoto's face. "She didn't take a vow this lifetime."
Jun's mouth dropped open slightly before he felt heat creep up his cheeks.
"I—Um—That's—"
Before he could say anything, Makoto's grin grew wider. "Don't forget to invite us when you guys hold the wedding."
She then turned around and ran back to Old Oak Tree, leaving behind a red-faced Jun standing there in the middle of the street gawking after her.
~-0-~
Minako was the one who came to Hikawa Shrine to inform him of the day when they would be knighted again.
"Do we need to prepare some kind of speech or something?" Jun asked, suddenly anxious about the whole thing.
"I don't think so?" Minako blinked at him, confusion written all over her face. "I've never been knighted before. But the King didn't say anything about speeches, so I'm assuming just … take it easy?"
It was easier said than done, and Jun didn't sleep all that well for the days leading up to their knighting ceremony. He doubted Zen slept well either, judging from the dark circles that had returned to their places underneath the strawberry blond's eyes.
Would the ceremony take place in front of a crowd? How would they be introduced to the public? They weren't like the Sailor Senshi. The citizens didn't know them at all. How would they react to the fact that these strangers would be protecting their Queen and King? What if someone remembered them from the time when they were minions under the power of Metalia? Would this cause trouble for Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion? And what about Naoto? Would he be joining them? Heck, they didn't even know if Koichi would be part of the ceremony, too.
He woke up so early on the day that they would be knighted again that it surprised the old man, who walked into the dining room an hour after Jun.
"You're up early today," the old man said.
"Yeah," Jun replied with a nervous chuckle.
The old man gave him a pat on the shoulder before going into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Zen, who was usually a night owl, entered the room soon after.
"You look horrible," Jun commented.
"Like you look any better," Zen shot back, pulling the hood of his hoodie just a bit lower.
Jun wasn't really certain how he managed to get through the morning; he didn't even quite remember what he had for breakfast by noontime. Zen contented himself with playing with Phobos and Deimos, which under normal circumstances would've made Jun feel envious. The two crows always kept their distances from him while eyeing him with a single eye as if they were waiting for him to do something wrong. At the current moment, however, Jun couldn't care less.
He had a ceremony to look forward to, and dear Gaea, he didn't know if he were prepared.
In the future, when Jun looked back in retrospect, he wouldn't recall most of what had happened. He would only remember somehow arriving at the Crystal Palace and then being transported to Elysion, along with the Queen, the King, and the Inner Senshi.
He didn't even remember when he saw Koichi and Naoto—were they already at the Crystal Palace when he walked in? Or did they walk in after he did? All he remembered was kneeling down, reciting some words that Helios told him to repeat, bowing to the Queen and the King, and repeating some more words before a beam of silver and gold light shone on the four of them.
Jun felt as if that was the moment when he had woken up that day. A warmth spread through his body, through his limbs, before settling in his mind, heart, and pit of stomach. All traces of anxiety that had been bothering him seemed to be brushed away by the aura of peace that had settled on him. He then felt the tingling feeling of energy flowing through his body, gathering in his hands, before returning to his core.
His magic, he knew without needing someone to tell him. Not counting the time when he was once again brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom, he'd never used magic this lifetime, but somehow, he knew that he would have no problems wielding the power within him.
"Congratulations, Shitennou. The Earth has acknowledged you once more as the protectors of King Endymion and of Earth herself," Helios announced with a smile.
As if they'd rehearsed it, all four of the Shitennou, including Naoto, knelt down in front of King Endymion and bowed down their heads to him.
"Master."
~-0-~
The party was held in the ballroom. Apparently, it was much smaller than Serenity had wished for, with only the Queen, the King, the Shitennou, and the Sailor Senshi. The Shitennou were introduced to the Outer Senshi, and Jun felt that it was a huge accomplishment that none of the Shitennou managed to obtain a death threat from one Sailor Uranus that night.
Not that she bothered masking her disapproval and distrust towards them, but it didn't seem like she would be mowing any of them down on the street with her car any time soon. She also seemed to have fun at Naoto's expense.
Well, to be fair, almost everyone did, but Uranus seemed to enjoy mentioning something about Naru and Naoto whenever Makoto was within hearing distance.
As the night went on, Jun managed to slip away from the party. As much fun as it was, it was also rather overwhelming, and he felt that he needed a moment to himself, however short it was.
He wandered around the castle; Minako had given them a short tour earlier, right after they'd come back from Elysion and before the party started, but he was certain there were probably a couple of secret rooms that they weren't allowed to enter yet. Trust came with time after all.
He didn't plan to pry, so he kept to the routes Minako had taken them down, and soon, he found himself an empty room. The ceiling was transparent, allowing one to see the full expanse of the skies. The wall on the left side of the room was a floor-to-ceiling window, allowing one to overlook everything to the south of the Crystal Palace.
Standing in front of the window, he looked down at the city beneath them. Everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks suddenly felt surreal to him. Yet …
With a flick of his wrist, ice shards appeared in his palm before he allowed it to melt. Flexing his magic, he made the water droplets disappear into thin air, the energy still rushing through his veins, proving to him that everything was real, that he wasn't hallucinating this whole thing.
That he did find his family in everything except blood once more.
"You know, I'm still calling dibs on this room."
Jun turned around to find Naoto standing near the doorway with a glass of champagne in his hand.
A small grin appeared on Jun's face, and he looked around the room in an exaggerated manner. "I don't see your name written anywhere."
"I'll carve my name on the floor then," Naoto said, tapping the floor with a foot before he walked over to where Jun was standing. "Overwhelmed by everything?"
Jun turned his gaze back to the view and shrugged. "Maybe." He paused for a moment before asking, "Why did you decide to swear your loyalty to the King?"
He recalled Makoto saying that Naoto didn't have his memories back.
Well, technically speaking, neither did Jun, but at least he knew tidbits of his past life.
The man in question tilted his head to one side as if in thought. "Would you believe me if I told you I hear voices in my head?"
"Voices in your head?" Jun asked, turning his head to look at Naoto. "I mean, I believe you, since look at what we went through today."
"Makes you feel like everything and anything is believable now," Naoto said with a laugh. "But yeah, I hear voices in my head that tell me important stuff whenever I sleep in places where I can see the stars. I'll fight you for this room."
For a moment, Jun wondered if Naoto was bluffing, before he remembered that the man could speak to stars in his past life.
"Can't let you guys hide so many things from me, can I? Oh, don't look at me like that. I would have to be deaf to not notice Helios saying 'once more' or something like that. It means that we were, apparently, protectors of King Endymion before though we don't remember it, and you, Yamada, and Takahashi didn't even look surprised to hear that."
"Neither did you," Jun pointed out.
"... Fair enough. But I still think the three of you are hiding something from me," Naoto said.
Jun didn't want to lie to him, but he recalled Makoto mentioning that Endymion preferred for them to remember on their own.
The atmosphere surrounding them was peaceful, despite the exchange they'd just had. There was a sense of familiarity and comfort being in the company of Naoto, almost like moments when he'd hung out with Zen.
After looking at the view for a short moment, they returned to the party.
Serenity had wanted everyone to stay for the night, but Ami had been the first to decline, stating that she still needed to make some adjustments to the computer system. Zen said something about needing to familiarize himself with the system before rushing out after her.
Jun took that as a cue to leave as well. He knew the old man would take care of Yua and so wasn't overly worried about her well-being, but he did want to tell the old man about what had happened.
Before he could say anything, however, Mars spoke up. That placed him in a dilemma. If he excused himself now, would she suspect him of stalking her?
"Jun-chan," Serenity called out, bringing him out of his reverie. "You're not going home with Rei-chan?"
"I … uh …"
A sweet smile appeared on Serenity's face. "I know she's Sailor Mars, but she won't be in her fuku when she walks home."
"Like someone would dare to do anything to anyone right outside the Crystal Palace," Uranus spoke up.
The Queen leaned over and said something to her. Uranus scrunched up her face but didn't say anything.
"Ahem, so where were we? Yes, we wouldn't want unnecessary trouble in Crystal Tokyo. Bad for the press, you know? So it'll probably be best if you escorted Rei-chan home," Serenity said.
"Your Majesty—"
"Please, just Serenity will be fine amongst friends."
Jun wasn't about to argue with her about that, but neither did he feel comfortable calling her by her name rather than her title.
"I … don't wish to burden her, neither do I wish for her to believe that I have dishonorable intentions. My first and foremost priority is to uphold my duty and protect you and the King and to repay my sins," Jun explained.
Uranus raised an eyebrow upon hearing Jun's words, and her facial features noticeably softened.
A small frown appeared on Serenity's face, but it was quickly replaced by hopefulness. "That's understandable, Jun-chan, but those shouldn't be the only things you commit yourself to. After all, Endymion and I wouldn't want any of you to have a breakdown due to stress."
Jun opened his mouth and shut it again. He couldn't really argue with that.
"I'm not suggesting for you to immediately start a relationship with her, but I do hope that those closest to me can reach an understanding and have, at the very least, a friendly relationship," Serenity said.
With a deep sigh, he bowed his head. "Understood, your Majesty."
Serenity seemed like she wanted to say something as a small frown appeared on her face when she heard the title he used for her, but then decided against it.
After thinking over what Serenity said, Jun decided to take his leave. After all, he had wanted to go back to Hikawa Shrine. As for Rei … he couldn't imagine her being unreasonable about it. After all, she'd permitted him to live at the temple in the first place, so she couldn't turn around and accuse him of stalking her.
Much to his surprise, he found her standing outside the Crystal Palace with her back towards the entrance.
As he walked up to her, he couldn't help but feel a bit of trepidation before he brushed it away. He was being silly and overthinking things. Maybe she was just standing there waiting for someone else.
He was about five feet away from her when she turned slightly and took a glimpse of him, causing him to stop in his steps. She then turned around and started walking away, thoroughly confusing him. After she'd taken a few steps, she glanced backwards again, and upon finding him standing there, she stopped as well.
She can't be …
For a short moment, Jun felt as if his mind had gone into overload. Then, with his heart pounding hard against his chest, he slowly walked up to her and felt his breath catch when she fell into step with him.
It took him a moment, but soon, he managed to get his heartbeat and breathing somewhat back under control.
They didn't say anything while they walked back to Hikawa Shrine, and Jun honestly felt that they didn't need to.
When they reached the archway at the top of the stairs, they both stopped walking at the same time. Rei had her eyes lowered, so he couldn't exactly tell what she was thinking.
"Good night," she said softly.
"Good night," he replied, and he was glad his voice sounded much calmer than he was actually feeling.
As she walked away, Jun thought he saw a suspicious tinge of red on the high of her cheeks.
Seeds can be sown at any moments in time … but before it is fully grown, how can one be certain if the seed is a seed of sin … or a seed of salvation?
~-0-~
Fin.
~-0-~
A/N: Many thanks to Nerys for beta-ing this chapter! Huge thanks to those of you who've read and gave kudos! Huge thanks to Valkyrie Celes for reviewing! Also, thanks again to teamvanessacloud for the beautiful artwork she'd created for this fic! Go check it out on her Tumblr or over at AO3, guys :D!