You've Always Deserved My Love

Chapter Two

Minako lay sideways in one of Mamoru's living room recliners, her legs dangling over the edge. Her blue eyes watched the stillness of the ceiling, her mind pondering the events of the last several hours. It was indeed one of the worst days of her life… her good friend left her. Usagi left her. She left them all. Minako felt her eyes welling up with tears again. She couldn't help but think back on how wonderful the girl had been… she was the one who had brought them all together, and now…. now she was gone? How was it possible that someone who was supposed to be the tying binds that kept friends together could just… leave?

A scratching noise at the balcony door made the blonde girl jump up, her thoughts interrupted. She looked around, noting the noises of pots and pans in the kitchen. Rei was still making… something. Ami and Makato were still with Mamoru in the bedroom. Minako shivered and wrapped a blanket around her, standing up and walking toward the balcony. She smiled in relief when she saw her cat Artemis sitting at the glass door, one paw against the glass, with Usagi's cat Luna sitting behind him.

She slid open the door. "Artemis, Luna." She whispered, picking up the cats and cuddling them close to her.

Artemis tried pulling away. "Mina! Come on, now, it's alright!"

Minako sniffled and pulled back a little, still cradling the cats. "I'm okay… I'm okay. I'll take you guys to Mamoru."

She stood up with the cats in her arms and went to the bedroom. She felt both of the cats stiffen as they entered.

"It's so cold!" Luna muttered.

"We were hoping you could explain why." Makato said. The girl sat on the floor beside of the bed, leaning her back against the side board. Her long legs were sprawled out, her arms above her head.

Minako put the cats down, and they both jumped up on the bed where Mamoru laid, Ami sitting beside him with her scanner.

Minako sat down on the floor next to Makato and laid her head on the brunette's shoulder. "I'm so tired, Mako-chan."

"It's the cold… it makes you sleepy." Makato muttered, closing her eyes.

Luna looked at Ami's scanner. "What's wrong with him, exactly, Ami?"

Ami rubbed her temple with one finger. "I'm not sure, Luna… I'm so terribly confused. These readings… they seem impossible!"

Artemis frowned, sighing. "Ami, I know you're stressed. We all are. Just tell us what the computer says."

"That's just it, Artemis!" Ami exploded, yelling. "I don't know what this means! It's impossible! The computer is showing readings telling me that Mamoru is frozen on the inside! It's saying that his organs are freezing! How is that possible?"

Luna put a paw on the girl's shaking arm. "Calm down, Ami-chan. It's alright… we understand this."

"That's what I thought." Makato muttered from her spot on the floor.

Ami wiped her eyes. "I'm so tired, Luna. It's so cold in here, Mamoru looks so sick, Usagi is gone, and… everything is going so wrong. I just want things to go back to normal. This isn't like me; I don't freak out and I don't panic… but everything's going so wrong. My best friend is gone, and I can't even find out what's wrong with another one of my friends! I always know! Always!" The girl buried her face in her hands.

"Ami!" Luna exclaimed. The cat jumped into the girl's lap. "Ami, look at me!"

The girl dropped her hands slowly, sniffling.

"It's okay that you don't know the answer. No one always has the answer to everything, and you shouldn't expect yourself to always have the answer." Luna snuggled against the girl. "It's okay. We're all not ourselves today." The cat closed her eyes. "I always knew Usagi was clumsy… and she wasn't the best Senshi. But… no one could ever say she wasn't loyal. And… it's so surprising that she would do something like this… she of all people."

Artemis cleared his throat. "I know we're all upset, but we really should get back to Mamoru…"

Luna sighed. "Artemis, we know."

Ami shook her head. "No, Artemis is right." She wiped her eyes and picked up her computer, showing it to Luna. "Can you make out these readings?"

Luna shook her head. "I don't need it. I know what's wrong. What I don't know is how to fix it."

Minako sat up, turned around, and propped her elbows on the bed. "What's the problem, though?"

Rei walked in the room. "Tea and biscuits, anyone?"

Makato raised her hand. "Give me one."

The priestess started to pass around the food as Luna began to speak.

"Mamoru is of the Earth's elements, as you should already know," she started, "and all of the elements that are on Earth affect him greatly. Just as your own individual elements affect you all, the elements on Earth affect Mamoru."

"But wait… all the elements are present on Earth." Rei interjected.

"Exactly." Artemis said.

Minako munched on a cracker. "I'm confused."

"Well… alright, here's an example." Luna explained. "Minako, because love and passion are your elements, you are able to sense when a person is in love, correct?"

"Yes…"

"Well, Mamoru is also affected by this because love is also an element of Earth. He's affected differently, though. He can't sense when someone is in love as you can, but he can sense when someone stops loving someone. Perhaps the reason Usagi's leaving has affected him so very deeply because of this knowledge he has. But as I was trying to explain, he has the opposite power that each of you have. As Mercury can create ice, he can destroy it. As Mars can wield fire, he can extinguish it, and as Jupiter can control lightning and storms, he can settle them. As he is the guardian of Earth, he can protect against any element, in other words. Have any of you ever seen the symbol of Earth?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Luna put a paw up to her face, thinking. Then she jumped on Mamoru's pillow and touched a paw to his forehead. "Watch."

Mamoru's forehead began to glow, and a gray mark appeared in the middle of his skin in a few seconds.

Luna took her paw away. "I probably am not allowed to do that, as you all are supposed to be the only ones to access your powers… but for demonstrative purposes, I had to. Now look at the symbol. A circle with two intersecting lines in the middle. See how there are four different ends that touch the circle? Well, each end represents one of your four elements. Look very closely and you'll see."

All four of the girls leaned in very close to look at Mamoru's head.

"Hey! There are four color specks on the ends of the lines!" Makato noted.

Luna nodded. "Exactly. Because all of the elements are present on Earth, Mamoru has effects from all four."

Ami waved a hand in the air. "But how does this make him sick?"

Artemis jumped in. "His system has been thrown off balance, and now he's having a very harsh side effect from one of the elements. In this case, it's ice. So, look at his forehead again. See how, in the middle, where the two lines intersect? There's a very dark spot. It used to be white."

"Usagi." Rei muttered.

Luna nodded. "Exactly. He is greatly affected by all of you, and since she has left his life, the light spot has turned to dark."

"But Mercury's element is ice… why is he turning to ice inside?" Minako asked.

"Because the light spot in the middle of his symbol was his balance. Now since there is no balance, there is nothing to take the place of the middle light." Luna said. "So, somehow, the ice element of Earth has overtaken him. It could have just as easily been fire, lightning, or love. Ice seemed to take the place of the middle element first."

"So how do we make him better?" Ami asked.

"That… I don't know." Luna put her paw to his forehead again, and in a few seconds, the symbol faded from his head.

"He needs a balance again." Makato said. "That's what it is, right? So how do we do that?"

"Usagi won't come back." Rei mumbled.

Artemis shook his head. "I doubt Usagi would really help right now. I don't think she can be his balance again."

"But she's the only thing that can be in the middle! Right?" Minako scratched her head.

"Not necessarily." Luna stated.

"Okay, you've lost me again." Minako said.

"His balance used to be his love for Usagi, and the love she gave him… right? Well, Usagi doesn't necessarily have to be his balance. She just was because she was what activated his powers. Queen Serenity placed on him the obligation to protect the princess when she sent all of us to Earth, and, when Sailor Moon was in danger, the Earth powers in him activated. That was when the light formed in the middle. When each of you was found, those elements in him activated as well. It just simply means that it's his obligation to protect the Senshi."

Makato ran a hand through her bangs. "Jeez, he has a confusing symbol. Please tell me ours are JUST symbols."

"I think so." Luna chuckled.

"So what can be his balance?" Rei asked.

"Anything. Whatever that will make him happy. Since Usagi is no longer going to be a Senshi, he has no obligation to protect her. So he has to find something in his life to make him happy, as she once did. I'm hoping that this ice in him is just temporary, because his power to destroy ice." The black cat jumped into Ami's lap. "The only thing we can do is hope he gets better. We'll just have to monitor him."

"What if he doesn't?" Makato asked, looking at the pale man.

Luna frowned. "I… don't know."

"This is bad." Ami muttered.

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End Chapter Two

Sorry it's been a while! I've been so busy! But I'm back! Yay!