'Never let them see you cry.' Luna scowled to herself as she observed the blond's nightly activities. Truth was Usagi wasn't doing anything, but sleeping, however, her face was amazingly blank. The black guardian cat swept a paw across her face as she felt the familiar wetness on her whiskers. Her ruby brown eyes felt heavy with knowledge, but she refused to burden her charge with the sorrow that was locked away.
The sacrifices were one to many, and the repercussions to great. Vaguely she looked for her white companion Artemis, before subjecting herself to those troublesome thoughts. It had been Chaos in every infliction of the word. The enemy, the prices paid, and the hearts ripped from their emotional chests. Luna had been proud of the charges she had watched, in what felt like forever. Once again rising against the odds, and succeeding once more. However, the sera senshi team would never be complete again. After that last battle, when the princess wished with her whole heart to start again with her family. It was impossible because of the sacrifices, they would always be here, but no longer on the physical plane. When the wish was made, Usagi's heart and head reached one agreement, to spar her of the pain. Her senshi agreed, and so locked were the memories of every time they had ever spent together. Yet, Usagi's heart could never forget, and that was what drove the lone senshi to continue her battle against evil, though she knew it not.
Luna wiped her tears from her feline eyes once more, feeling the warmth of another body curling next to her. "Just let it out Luna." He whispered into her ears. Again the black cat guardian cried for all that was lost. She mourned those who had passed and the fact she could neither join them nor could she forget them.
After the battle the fate's declared that the two guardians would be the ones that withheld the princess's lost memories. Forced to remember through her heart and eyes, Luna finally understood her charge. Though their were times that she wished she could return them, or cast them away completely. At these times, Luna would chastise herself fiercely and slip into a negative mood. Luna buried her head into her companion's body and cried while cursing the fact she was once more appearing weak before Artemis. Vaguely she wondered how he always seemed so strong, from the normally carefree white guardian.
Artemis stared down at the black feline buried against his white one. He was repaying every time Luna was the strong one. It was true that he missed the senshi as well, especially the bubbly Minako, but the memories he withheld was a gift. A treasure if you will, it was the last thing they gave him, and he would guard them fiercely. Never would he shed the tears that longed to escape his heart. That, he considered, would be a disgrace to their memories, especially to the always smiling Minako. However, it was not a disgrace if others found mourning them to keep their memories. So once more, he curled around his mate Luna, and purred her to sleep. His luminous blue eyes kept watch over the precious blond in the bed, and the one beside him. He would allow no harm to come to them, not until the last breath expelled from his body, and if it was even possible, beyond that as well.
At the center of this drama was the resting bunny, who's face normally so open, was as placid as a harmless lake. Her dreams would naturally reflect that which she dreamed of, at times this was mountains of sweet foods, these would be a smile to her face. At other times, she would be haunted by the battles and deaths she fought together with the senshi. However, her most happiness memories, and saddest ones went hand and hand. So when they sealed them, you could say they sealed her very dreams away. Usagi's dreams were a bleak landscape of nothingness. This would normally disturb the blond bunny, but she recalled nothing of them in the morning, assuming her dreams were filled with sunshine and laughter.
A woman with dark purplish-blue hair peaked in to check on her daughter. There was a frown apparent on her face, but it was filled with concern. At times, Ikuko would wonder what had happen to the close group of friends that Usagi use to hang with. Yet, she made no mention to her daughter, figuring that had just went their separate ways and she didn't want to dredge up bad memories. A small smile touched Ikuko's lips as she entered the blonde's room. Leaning over she tucked her daughter in, and brushed a tender kiss across her brow. Glancing around she was confused to not find the pictures of the raven-haired man or the group of friends mentioned prior. Sighing, she placed a loose ringlet of her daughter's bangs behind her ear and left the room.
After Luna's crying fit, she jumped from Artemis's side and leapt down to beside Usagi. Curling under her neck, she purred her self to sleep. Artemis huffed, he thought she had fallen asleep beside him! Jumping down from his perch he walked over to where Usagi laid, and his nose caught on an intruding scent. He walked closer and nosed Usagi's hands were the scent was permeating from.
It was not a welcome scent, was his first thought. He recognized a bit of the smell to belong to a felonious creature, but the other part had a smell of a cursed one. The smell reminded him of the negaverse, and he shivered. Making up his mind, he pecked Luna's cheek, and went after the trail of the scent. Quite aware it made bring danger to his charge, and he be darned if he didn't protect this one. First, before they could make an appropriate move he would need more information. Hopping out the open window, he cast one more glance at the home before tracking the scent.
His nose brought him to an isolated shrine. It wasn't terribly impressive like Rei's shrine was, but one that looked well lived in. The shrine had a feeling of warm darkness, which confused Artemis, but it made him more alert. Noticing the other door to the courtyard open, he walked in, looking both ways trying to find the origin of the scent. Again his eyes fell on an open shrine door, and a brunette girl sitting at a table. Her scent was completely human, and yet, she also had the scent of the strange creature on her. Figuring it couldn't hurt to enter the shrine completely, he strolled in looking pitiful. Artemis could of smirked at how easy it worked, the brunette gasped, reached over and nearly squeezed him to death. A few seconds later she was apologizing profusely. Artemis regained his ability to breathe, while the brunette dashed off, he assumed to the kitchen because she was muttering about food.
His ears flicked back when he heard footsteps behind him, and the scent he had been tracking polluted his senses. Though it wasn't as threatening now, and didn't have the scent of decay. Artemis turned and hissed at a human? He shook his white head, there was something off about the orange haired male youth that stood before him. Artemis was cut from further thoughts as the youth's red eyes locked onto to his. He could see him assessing him, his red eyes flickering it thought. "Damn cats." He muttered allowed. Artemis was affronted, but was saved a slip up because the brunette girl had walked back in with a bowl of warm milk.
"Here you go." The brunette girl stated while shoving the milk in his face. Artemis checked his response to recoil, he had pride, and intelligence! Though that last point could be argued by Luna at times. Yet, beside that, did she really think he would glutton himself on the proffered milk. How could he trust this girl when this whole shrine held a presence of warning. She was there smiling so winningly, just like Minako and his princess, Artemis found himself scowling. He turned his nose up, and instead stared at the ceiling. Out of the corner of his blue eyes, he saw the brunette frown. "Kyo-kun is something wrong with him?" She asked the orange-haired youth and Artemis mentally smiled. A name could be assigned to the strange youth now.
"Tohru, just forget the damn cat." 'Kyo,' instructed her, turning to go wash. Artemis assumed the brunette was Tohru who was still glancing curiously at him.
"Kyo-kun, can't you communicate with it?" Tohru asked him with a plea.
"No dam..." He yelled and then stopped himself, glancing red-faced at Tohru. "All right." Kyo conceded, and knelt beside Artemis. His red eyes were ticking with his agitation as he stared at how to approach the cat. Normally Kyo had no problem, because of his affinity with neko's. However, Artemis didn't want nothing to do with him. "Hey cat, eat this." He struck out, practically shoving the bowl of milk on Artemis. Artemis saved his glance of non-amusement, instead still completely ignoring the youth. Meanwhile, Kyo's count down for cooling off was quickly becoming a meltdown. Suddenly he picked up Artemis and plopped him in the milk, letting it splash all over him. Tohru gasped, but stopped when she realized the cat was cleaning itself off. Kyo smirked as his plan had worked and walked off to take a shower.
Artemis however, was not amused, in fact he was down right suspicious. His instinct for survival was screaming at him to escape that shrine before they killed him. However, first he had to get all this milk off, because he couldn't have his coat sticky and attracting things. He fought over the chance of it being poison, and figured he rather die cleaning it off, then his mate Luna while she was scolding him. After he was cleaned, he set off to explore and see if he could escape. He was brought to a terrible realization, no doors or windows were opened. There was no chance of escaping, for the doors were too heavy to slide open. With out an exit to escape, he bemoaned his predicament and decided to hide until morning, perhaps he could make his escape then.
Hmm, background chapter, sorry, I was setting up a few things. Much Care, Wolfchildblazer. P.S. Please Review.