Chapter 22: Dawn of a New Twilight

Serena stood out on the back porch of her house, staring out at the sky above the city, one hand holding her hair out of her face in the afternoon breeze. It had been a week since their battle against Shiro, for the most part, everything seemed to be back to normal. Upon their return home that afternoon Rini had flung herself tearfully into Serena's arms and had not stopped until she had cried herself to sleep.

Koaru had remained asleep for close to three days, and as soon as he woke up he had left the house, taking Rini out for a meal. Serena knew better than to worry about him at this point, but that would not stop her from worrying all the same. After all, even though Koaru was virtually immortal, Rini tale of how Koaru was not in Crystal Tokyo felt like an ill omen. And with Pluto refusing to speak of the situation only added to her unease. Something was going to happen between now and then, and she feared that. Koaru may not be her brother by blood, but she loved him all the same. They all did.

Behind her Serena heard the doors to the house open and she turned to see Koaru, Rini and Darien entering the porch, back from a morning walk. Darien walked straight over to her and gave her a light kiss on the cheek as Rini wrapped her arms around Serena's leg. Ever since they had returned the girl seemed less troublesome and more daughterly. Serena suspected that the fear of losing her had come as quite a shock to the little girl. Looking from her daughter-to-be to her brother, she called out to him as she saw him heading back out the door.

"Where are you off to now?"

Koaru turned back to her, a bittersweet expression on his face.

"I have to go see Lita."

Serena felt that she knew that expression. Koaru and Lita had some heavy things to talk about. And she knew that Lita, despite her tough outer appearance, was a very delicate girl. This would rehire some outside intervention. Serena headed to the phone as she heard Koaru's bike fire up outside.

"And that is the last of it."

Teshi looked around his hotel room one last time and heaved a sigh. It had barely been two weeks since his arrival in this city, and already it was time to move on. After all, Shiro wasn't going to turn himself in. Picking up the room key from the dresser and shouldering his travel bag, Tenshi left the room and took the elevator down to the lobby, walking up to the reception desk and returning the key with a smile and thank you to the young lady behind the counter. Turning and heading to the main doors he smiled as he saw Amy standing just outside the front doors, her head in a book and Luna perched on her shoulders, her own little eyes flickering across the pages along with Amy's. As Tenshi stepped out through the doors the two looked up from the book. Amy smiled as she saw Tenshi. Setting a bookmark on her page, she returned the book to her bag and walked up to him.

"So you're leaving today?" she asked, her voice cheery yet holding a note of dread. Tenshi nodded and looked over to the tower where they had fought just a few days before, the city workers still at work to repair the damage.

"If I don't, Shiro will continue to do this to other people, other cites, other worlds." He said, narrowing his eyes. "I can't let him continue to do as he pleases."

Amy nodded in understanding. Luna looked between the two, then locked eyes with Tenshi.

"You will be saying goodbye to the others of course?"

The young man smiled and nodded.

"That is good to hear. Everyone will be meeting at the Arcade later." Luna said as she hopped down from Amy's shoulders and headed off down the street. The two watched her go, then turned and headed the opposite direction from the cat.

After walking for a few blocks, Tenshi cleared his throat.

"So… I know that is not my place to ask, but I would like to know. What exactly happened between you and Koaru?"

Amy looked over to Tenshi in shock, her cheeks trying red as he mouth gaped open.

"Why why why why why would you want to know?" she stammered before looking away. Tenshi chuckled and shrugged.

"Just… the amount of hostility I sensed from you towards him, and just how much effort he puts in to protecting you. There must have been something there."

Amy walked beside Tenshi in silence for a few more blocks before speaking again.

"We were dating, once. Almost a year ago. I thought I loved him, but the way he kept throwing himself into danger… the way he would just vanish without warning and return covered in cuts and bruises. It was turning into torture for me. It was like he was trying to give me a heart attack. I was losing sleep. I wasn't eating. I would cry myself to sleep, or I simply couldn't sleep. I realized that it wasn't healthy, so I… I broke up with him."

Tenshi nodded, listening intently and thinking his response carefully before speaking again.

"I think… I can' kind of understand why he does what he does," Tenshi said, causing Amy to look at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "He is called your Guardian, and yet there enemies out there that he can't beat. He tries to be the strongest so that he can protect you all. By taking all of the damage and keeping you all away from the front line as much as possible. I'm sure that hurting you the way did was the last thing he ever intended to do."

Tenshi looked to her and smiled, reaching out and taking her hand. She took his and smiled, his words sinking in. And she knew he was right. Koaru was not the type of person to cause pain to those around him. He just lost sight of what was happening around him. After all, he was a fool. A great big fool who only had one thing on his mind at any given time. Looking back to Teshi, she gave his hand a light squeeze.

"Okay, now your turn," she said, catching his eye. "I'm sure you have a story to share about a past love, don't you?"

Tenshi smiled weakly and looked away from her. Amy stopped in her tracks as she noticed a tear slide down the side of his face as he looked away from her, her hand slipping out of his.

"I am sorry," she said, her smile gone. "That was not right of me, I'm-"

"No, it is quite alright," Tenshi said, wiping his eyes. "I do have a story… I have many stories about her… but I'm not ready to talk about them. Not yet." He turned to Amy and offered her his hand again. "One day when I return, I will tell you about her."

Amy took his hand, still feeling guilty.

"Can I… ask what her name is? Is that alright?"

"… Anya," Tenshi said, tightening his grip on Amy's hand. "Her name… was Anya."

Koaru sat across from Lita at the street side cafe, slowly sipping at his coffee and she sipped her tea. The air between them was clearly tense, as neither one would look the other in the eye, yet each clearly had something they wanted to say. The waiter walked over and delivered Lita's piece of cake, and Koaru finally found his courage.

"Lita," he said, then went silent as she held up a hand to him, cutting him off.

"No." She said firmly. "I will say it." She said, gripping her fork tightly, her arm shaking on the table as she fared down at her cake. "Koaru… I love you. You know that. I know you do. And I know that you love me too. After all, you have done s much for me over the years. But I also know that… you don't love me… not the same way way I love you." She took a deep as her voice started to shake as she fought back her tears. "Not the same way you loved… the way you still love Amy."

Koaru sat in silence, his gaze slowly dropping from Lita's quivering form to his half empty cup of coffee, his gut wrenched up into a knot from guilt. He gave a little nod as he uttered a weak "Yeah", bringing a sniffle from Lita. He looked up as he expected her to break down into tears, but instead I was met with an unexpected sight.

"OOOOOHHH! Damn it all!" Lita shouted as she raised her fork overhead, drawing the attention of serval other of the cafe's customers. She then jammed the fork into her cake and stuffed the entire piece into her mouth, munching and chewing as animatedly as she could. "Waiter!" She shouted, "more cake!"

Another piece was brought to her and she dug in, smiling as she stuffed her face, making a huge mess all across her face. Koaru sat there, smiling, biting his lip as he watched, ignoring what she didn't want him to see; the tears streaming down her face, mixing in with the chocolate and strawberry cream smeared across her cheeks and mouth.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

Koaru and Lita looked away from their table as Serena came rocketing across the street, Raye, Mina, Darien, Amy and Tenshi in tow. Damn near crashing into their table, Serena slammed her hands down in front of Koaru and got right up in his face.

"What the hell is this Koaru? You and Lita got down and dirty, didn't you? And you think you can just walk away like nothing happened?"

Koaru sat there, dumbstruck, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "I-I-I-I-I-what?"

"We heard all about it! And and Lita bumped uglies! Now be a man and take responsibility for your actions!"

"Whoa-wha-huh?!" Lita was no longer crying. Her eyes were wide and her face beet red, her arms flailing around her head as she tried to process what was being said.

"What?" Serena said, turning to her friend, "Lita don't you go letting him off the hook like! He took your first time, so you need to-"

Serena fell silent and Koaru shoved a fresh piece of cake into her mouth, his eyes closed, teeth grit and temple throbbing in anger.

"Okay. First off, not the time or place to be discussing things like that," he said through his teeth. "Second, where the hell did you get this crazy notion that Lita and I…. had sex?"

Serena flailed around as she tried to chew, swallow and speak at the same time. Raye sighed and gave her a heavy handed thwack on the back. Serena swallowed, coughed, and continued.

"Mina told us she saw the two of you together. In Lita's bed. Naked!"

Koaru went red. Lita went red. Mina dove behind Raye. Tenshi grinned. Amy blushed and looked away from everyone. Darien closed his eyes and sighed. After a few moments of silence, Koaru finally found his voice.

"Yes. We slept together. As in the same bed. There is a difference between sleeping together and making love. If Mina would have had the courage to stick around, or God forbid look closer, both Lita and I were still wearing our underwear."

"Well why were you two both virtually naked?" Mina blurted out. Koaru sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.

"Again, not the time or place, but since this seems to be happening here anyways… Lita pulled me in off the street after I went out and did some… stupid things. She shoved me into her shower, and one thing lead to another and… well…"

"Clothes became kind of unwanted…" Lita finished, her cheeks burning.

A silence hung in the air over the group. Finally Amy spoke.

"So… you both are…"

"Still virgins, yes." Koaru finished, his cheeks turning red as he answered, his eyes closed.

The silence returned and remained until Tenshi opened his mouth.

"…awkward…"

That evening found five figures on the hill overlooking the city. Tenshi, Amy, Artemis, Luna, and Koaru. The sun was just nicely beginning to set, casting a golden gleam across the landscape. Tenshi and Amy were hand in hand, staring at the sunset as Koaru sat on the grass nearby, scratching both cats behind the ears. After a few moments he got to his feet and spoke, still not facing the two.

"As nice as this is and all, I'm sure we all have places to be getting to," he said. Amy and Tenshi released hands and turned to the Guardian, who also turned, grinning. The two men approached one another and said nothing for a few moments. Finally Tenshi offered his hand, and Koaru took it firmly. They both smiled at one another and shook hands.

"As much as you piss me off Blondie, I could not ask for a better warrior to fight side by side with. Thank you."

Tenshi nodded. "Same to you. I have fought with many warriors, and I can think of no one I would rather have watching my back. Take care of yourself. For everyone's sake."

Koaru nodded, then turned his attention to Amy. The two stared at one another for a moment, then Koaru looked away, lowering his eyes to the grass.

"Um… if you'd like. I'll wait for you at the foot of the hill and… I'll walk you home cause, you know… it'll be dark soon. If you'd like…"

Amy's eyes widened, and she smiled lightly.

"Thank you Koaru. That would be nice."

Koaru did not look back at her, but both Amy and Tenshi could see the smile that spread on his face. After all, that was the first time she had spoken directly to him in months.

They watched Koaru head down the hill, followed by Luna and Artemis, who simply nodded to Tenshi before the felines went off on their own. Amy and Tenshi watched the sky turn from gold to violet to black. Once the lights in the city began to blink to life, Tenshi turned to Amy.

"I don't know how long it will be before I can return, but I promise that I will come back." He took her hand and held it to his chest. "I have to thank you Amy. You mean… so much to me. You have helped me heal scars that I thought would never close, and given me a new reason to keep fighting. So… thank you." He reached out and cupped her head in his hand, turning her face to his. "Amy… I love you…" he leaned in to kiss her…

And she turned her face away from him.

Tenshi's eyes widened in surprise. Taking a slow step backwards, he wordlessly opened and closed his mouth. After a moment, Amy spoke.

"I'm sorry. Your words… your confession, I appreciate them, I truly do. And I feel the same way about you Tenshi, truly I do."

"Then… what-"

"Your words from before… when you tried to help explain Koaru's actions. They made me think about my own actions recently."

Tenshi stood, confused, as Amy held her hands together, staring down at the grass as the breeze whipped up, billowing her skirt and hair.

"I told you how I felt that Koaru did all of those things to… to hurt me. After you showed up, I could clearly see that Koaru was jealous of you and I… I think I used you to get back at him. A part of me wanted to make him hurt the way he had hurt me. But that was wrong of me. And in the end, it was kind of meaningless." She looked to Tenshi, smiling weakly. "Because I truly feel the same way about you Tenshi. You are important to me too. But… I can't make any kind of promise to you. Not today. Not now."

She looked away again, and Tenshi saw that she was looking in the direction that Koaru had left. He smiled weakly, feeling defeated.

"You still love him, don't you?"

Amy shook her head.

"I don't understand why, but… I do. I still love him, just as much as I ever did. But from this moment on, I do not know what will become of us… of any of us. So… I will not make any promises. Not to you. Not to him. Not to myself. Because… I just…"

Tenshi smiled and walked up to her, taking her hands in his.

"It is alright Amy, I understand." he said, gripping her hands tightly. "The heart is a tricky thing. I know all too well. So I will only ask you one thing. Whatever you choose, whoever you choose… make the choice that will make you happiest."

Amy smiled and nodded, tears welling in her eyes.

"I can promise that." she said, squeezing his hands. "I will. Thank you."

Tenshi let go of her hands and reached into his bag, pulling out a golden crystal. Turning his back to Amy, he began charging energy into the crystal, preparing to warp to the next world. Suddenly he felt two arms wrap around his chest and a body press up against his back as Amy embraced him from behind. He stood there, feeling her warmth, smiling and setting his free hand on hers. Amy let go of him and reached up to his shoulder, pulling him back as she went up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Have a safe journey Tenshi. Take care."

"I will," he said raising the crystal up to the sky and lightly pushing her away before grabbing his bag. Looking back to her, Tenshi gave her one last smile as the crystal enveloped him in a blinding light.

"I promise."

Koaru looked up from the ground as Amy approached him. He had been waiting quite a while, but he didn't mind. This was the first time that he was spending any time alone with Amy in almost a year. He didn't care. Even if she told him that she and Tenshi were now engaged, he wouldn't mind. Just to at least be a part of her life again, that alone would put his mind and heart at ease.

"So… he's gone?"

Amy nodded, and the two started off down the street. They walked in toga silence for over half of the way to Amy's home before Koaru spoke again.

"Amy," he began, causing her to look over to him. "I… I want to say that I am sorry. I am sorry for everything that I have ever said or done that has hurt you. So… I am sorry!" he shouted turning to face her and bowing, facing the ground. Even if this was considered a sign of submission, he didn't give a shit. This was far fem how far he would go to make amends to her.

Amy walked up to him but didn't say anything. Koaru started to lift his head to look at her, but the moment he moved his neck she put her hands on the back of his head, holding him down.

"Do not look up." She said strongly, gripping her hands around the back of his skull. Koaru did as he was told and did not move. He was waiting for to grip his back and squeeze, to try and hurt him for all the suffering he had put her through. Instead she suddenly took his head in her hands and pulled him up into a hug, setting her head against his chest and wrapping her arms around him. "I forgive you," she said, leaning into him and smiling. "If you can forgive me, I will forgive everything."

Koaru stood there, speechless, his arms hovering around her body, not daring to touch her. As her words sunk in, he smiled and finally wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close and setting his cheek against the top of her head.

"There's nothing for me to forgive."

END