You've Always Deserved My Love

Chapter One

The sun was shining brightly outside, but inside the small temple, the mood was anything but bright. Four girls, sitting around a small floor table on their knees, were dabbing at their eyes, trying hard not to give into tears.

"Why did she do it?" Mizuno Ami murmured, wiping her blue teary eyes with the back of her hand.

Hino Rei, a young priestess at the holy shrine, was staring out the window at the bright light. She turned to her friends, anger in her deep violet eyes. "She's a bitch, a bitch! Leaving him, leaving us, tearing us all apart!" Tears choked up her voice, and another girl, Aino Minako, enveloped the girl.

"Rei-chan, shhh…" She mumbled, rocking and forth with the ebony haired girl in her arms. "I know, I know… we're all hurt."

The last girl at the table, Kino Makato, looked down at the piece of paper that lay on the table, the whole reason they were all upset.

My friends, it read, As you all know, I am no longer happy in Japan. Seiya and I are leaving for America this morning. When you wake I will already be gone. Don't try to follow me or find me. There will be no use. I am sorry to leave the Senshi, but you will be fine without me. I was never acceptable, anyways. I love you all, and I always will, but it is time for me to go. Take care of my family. Usagi. x

Makato's green eyes filled with anger, and she grabbed the paper, wadding it up into a tight ball. She stood and swished open the sliding door, walking outside. She strode to the edge of the temple garden, where a small pond was, with fish swimming around happily, oblivious to everything. She tossed the paper in and watched them devour it.

Then she turned back and went inside to her friends. "Has anyone checked on Mamoru yet?" She muttered, closing her eyes tightly. She could only imagine the pain that the man was experiencing. If they were this upset… she didn't even want to think of how he was.

Minako looked up, her light blue eyes very unusually dark. "We should all go over there and be with him."

Rei pulled out of Minako's arms. "Right. Let's go." She wiped a hand over her tear-stained face and stood.

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When the four girls entered Mamoru's apartment nearly an hour later, the first thing that everyone noticed was how very dark and cold it was.

Minako shivered, rubbing her arms for warmth. "It's freezing."

Ami pulled out her mini-computer and scanned the area. "This isn't normal, guys."

Rei glanced down at Ami's computer and rolled her eyes. "Kami, Ami. Give it up. He probably just forgot to turn on the heat. In his state, I don't doubt it."

Ami shook her head frantically. "No, I'm being serious. There's definitely an odd vibe coming from the inside. I don't know if it's evil, but it's not normal."

Makato went first, walking down the short hallway and entering the cold living room. The couch was wrinkled; apparently it had been slept on, but there was no sign of Mamoru. She went to the door where she knew his bedroom was, and pushed it open. It was empty as well. She frowned deeply and walked inside. "Mamoru? Mamoru-kun, where are you?"

The other girls had now fully entered the room, and Minako had collapsed in a chair, pulling a blanket off the headrest and wrapping it around her. "I'm so cold, guys."

"Hush up." Ami said quietly, sharply. She wandered into the kitchen, her computer scanning still. She went directly to the AC controller on the wall and tampered with it. "Guys, it's supposed to be 70 degrees Fahrenheit in here. He has it set to 70!"

Rei rubbed her arms. "Then what's going on? It obviously isn't 70 degrees in here!"

Makato was walking around inside Mamoru's bedroom, opening the closet and bathroom doors and peering in. She walked out and went down the hallway to Mamoru's study. Cautiously, she opened the door and peered in. "Mamoru?" She whispered, looking around. Her eyes fell upon something out of place, and she screamed. "Oh my god! Guys!"

Everyone dashed into the room, and found Makato rushing toward a collapsed Mamoru, sprawled out in the middle of the floor on his stomach. Quickly turning him over, Makato laid his head in her lap while Ami scanned him.

"The cold air is coming from his body." She said, reading her small screen. "Get him to bed. I can't study him here like this."

Minako rolled her eyes. "He's not a lab rat, Ami."

"Shut up, Minako, and help me!" Makato said crossly, putting her arms around Mamoru and trying to lift him. "Rei, Mina, get his feet."

"Right!" Rei quickly went to the task, Minako following as well, and after several failed attempts, they lifted him and stumbled out of the study and into his bedroom, where Ami pulled back the covers on his bed. They laid him there, and quickly covered him up.

Ami was scanning like crazy, Minako standing behind her, peering over her shoulder. Makato sat at the bedside, breathing heavily. Mamoru was thin, but he still was a man, and her arms hurt like crazy from the lifting. She knew she had taken most of it on herself. Rei had gone to the kitchen, and was busily fixing hot tea to try and warm everyone up. She even raised the heater, hoping that it would turn on and heat up a little bit.

Ami reached over and felt Mamoru's forehead. "That's funny."

"What is it?" Minako asked.

"Well… he has a fever, but his entire body is… like it's frozen." She frowned when another reading popped up on her screen. "This is insane… medically impossible."

"What is it?" Minako asked again, tapping her foot impatiently.

Ami rolled her eyes. "Minako, please, just go help Rei."

Minako sighed and resigned, leaving.

"What is going on with him, Ami?" Makato asked.

"His heart… it's frozen up. The readings are so… inhuman. It's like his insides have all frozen."

Makato's eyes widened. "How is he living?"

"I'm not sure!" Ami shook her blue head exasperatedly, going towards the bed. "What's worse… I have no idea what to do! How do we warm up his insides?"

"Nothing we can do until he wakes up except keep him covered up. Will he wake up?"

"I hope so. But I can't tell!" Ami sighed. "This has never happened to me before! I've always been able to tell what was wrong…"

"Maybe we should call Luna and Artemis."

Ami tilted her head and gave Makato a funny look. "This isn't the Black Moon, though… this is a health issue…"

"I don't think it's either." Makato looked at Mamoru, his pale face rigid in sleep. "I think this is Usagi. You said yourself that there was an odd vibe coming from inside him. And I think that Luna may know what to do. Isn't Mamoru linked to Usagi in some way?"

Ami nearly hit herself on the head. "And… she's left him." She cringed at the very words.

Makato nodded gravely. "Right… so… maybe she's the reason why he's frozen. And… maybe Luna can help."

Ami flipped open her computer again. "I'll call her!"

Makato nodded, watching Mamoru sleep. "Poor Mamoru." She mumbled softly, noting how heartbroken he looked, even in his sleep.

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End Chapter One

This is odd, isn't it? You all have no clue where I'm going with this, right? Well, don't worry… you'll all know soon enough! Hope you enjoyed!