A special thank you to Sunny the Pervy for the ring set and necklace featured on the cover of this fic, as well as the 'red string of fate' ring idea.

Serenity fiddled with the ring on her right pinky finger, nibbling at her bottom lip as she stared out of the window at the central fountain.

Please let Saniya be safe …

"Sere! Come on! We've got all sorts of dresses to sew up for the upcoming festival! We don't have that much time!" cried a shrill voice from the other side of her and her twin sister's dress shop.

The blonde beauty stopped fiddling with her ring and turned around to face her identical twin. "I'm sorry, Eve, I just haven't been feeling well today."

Maeve stopping hemming a pale blue/gold dress to look up at her twin and got up from her perch with a sigh. "The war will be over enough, Sere, I'm sure of it. Then we all can try to snag a hot man from the army and get married – happily ever after, " she chirped, grabbing a a basket from a nearby table.

"Here – we need some more thread from Malee; we're running out of them with the amount of dresses we have to make before next week."

Maeve handed her sister the basket and embraced her. "Everything will be fine. I swear on my bow, " she reassured Serenity before pulling away.

Serenity smiled at her twin. "I'm so glad to have you, Eve. I wouldn't know what to do without you, " she enthused, grabbing her cloak and made to the door.

"Hey! What can I say? We are one and the two!" called Maeve after her shorter twin.

Serenity giggled, walking out of the shop at the same time a trumpet sounded. Her eyes widened at the sound of the trumpet, knowing what it meant as several people sprinted towards the sound.

"They're home! They're home!" bellowed the crowd as the Kinmokian army soon flooded down the streets.

Serenity sped over to the growing crowd, jumping up and down to try and get a peek of her husband in hopes of her being alive still.

"Look! Look! It's the Starlights!"

"My, don't they look much more fierce than before."

"Did they change their hair?"

"Healer, over here!"

Serenity bounced up and down still to try to catch a glimpse of that infamous dark blue hair. A gasp fled from her lips upon seeing the face that she was looking for.

Tears almost welled up within her eyes at the sight of her lover. "Saniya …" she whispered, her heart overflowing with emotional at seeing her love – safe and sound.

Midnight blue eyes met hers in a cold stare. A shiver ran down her back as her spouse stared her down with the eyes of her senshi namesake, Sailor Star Fighter, instead of the eyes of her lover.

Then Saniya disappeared with her partners, Yaffa and Thi, into the army that they had with them.

Serenity stopped hopping and looked down at the basket in her grasp.

I guess she doesn't want to see me yet …

The blonde beauty held back a sob as she resumed her journey to Marlee's parlor, trying to get Saniya's cold gaze out of her mind.

4 hours later

"Whew! We really did have a long day today, didn't we?!" exclaimed Maeve with a sigh of relief.

Serenity giggled at her sister's antics after they closed up their shop. "What are you doing for the rest of the night, Eve?"

"Probably going to Marlee's parlor to get drunk. I really need a drink after today's events. We had so many dresses to do today that my hands might fall off, " the bow-haired twin rattled on, wrapping her shawl around herself some more. "What about you? You coming with me to try to find yourself a potential suitor?"

Serenity flushed slightly after her sister winked at and nudged her with her hip. Her eyes downcast as her mind conjured up an image of Saniya.

Shaking her head, Serenity replied, "No, I think I'll just go and brew myself some tea. I'm still feeling quite bad lately."

Cerulean eyes looked into hers with concern and prodded, "Do you need me to go home with you? I don't want you to faint somewhere or anything."

The other blonde grasped her sister's hands, giving them a squeeze and forced a smile. "No, it's okay. I promise you this. I'll be able to make it home on my own. Go ahead and have fun, " Serenity reassured her, even though she felt a bit … feverish and the chill in the air wasn't making it better.

Maeve's eyes scanned her sister's face closely, then she took her into a tight embrace. "I'll give the girls your best wishes and bring you home some of Rayen's special brew to restore your body's health, " she promised.

Pulling away from their embrace, they bid each other farewell and went their separate ways after Maeve had her sister swear to go straight home.

Serenity wrapped her shawl around her small form, making her way back to her and Maeve's cabin. The hairs at the back of her neck stood on edge from the feeling of being watched.

Stopping in a clearing and looking around, the blonde beauty didn't see anyone or anything around and continued onward to her destination.

Just as she was passing a alleyway, Serenity found herself being grasped and pulled into said alleyway. Her mouth opened to let out a cry for help, but a gloved hand soon covered it so her instincts took over to struggle against her captor when …

"Is that one way to greet your husband after she's been away for several, long months without her loving wife? I'm quite hurt by that, " teased a familiar, creamy voice into her ear.

Serenity stopped struggling, her eyes widening upon spinning around to confirm her suspicions.

There stood none other than Saniya, who was still henshined while wearing a cloak. Her short locks still framing her face in her infamous finger locks style. But the biggest indicator of her lover's identity was the golden wedding band on her left pinky finger that held a identical ruby atop as Serenity's silver one.

Tears welled up within sapphire eyes as Serenity flung herself into her love's arms with a cry.

"Saniya!"

Saniya held in a giggle, stroking her hysterical wife's back. "Ssshhh … I'm home … ssshhh …"

Serenity clung harder to her husband's cloak, sobs overtaking her heated body. "Oh, Saniya, I was so worried. There were whispers of your death everywhere. I didn't know what to do. I almost died after hearing about your possible death, " she whimpered, allowing the other woman to rock her within her strong, loving arms.

"I know, Odango, I know. Sshhh, I'm home now, " cooed the dark-haired beauty, eyes scanning the area outside of the alleyway for anyone who'll intrude on the young couple's reunion.

"I thought you were gone and it just about broke me, especially since we didn't get a chance to really enjoy our marriage, " she sobbed into her lover's bosom. "Then how cold you were to me earlier when I seen you. It almost made me sick to my stomach at the thought of you no longer thinking of me as your love."

Pushing her gently at arms' length, Saniya eyed her lover evenly. "Odango, you know very well that I couldn't act the way I wanted to. No matter how strongly I felt, I couldn't just run over to you and scoop you into my arms and kiss the living daylights out of you. It's against -."

"… the rules. I know that, Saniya, but I'm sick and tired of the deceit and hiding. We've been living a lie for the past four years. I just can't stand not being able to claim you as my own, " lamented Serenity, tears still flowing from her eyes.

Saniya dropped her hands to her sides as she hissed, "Don't you think I know that?! I feel the same exact way, but we must wait for someday when we'll be able to love freely without fear of public execution or exile. We've discussed this several times over the years. You know the rules."

Serenity looked away solemnly. "I know that you, Yaffa, and Thi are forbidden to love in any shape or form in fear of it interfering with your duty to Kinmoku and its rule family, but I can't help how I just want to scream from wanting to just be able to call you my husband."

The dark-haired beauty looked into her eyes evenly, cupping the other girl's face within her hands. "Well, then, say it. Say those magic words that I've been telling you that you can say to me and I'll do it. I'll resign from my duty for you. I'll clip my wings and run away with you so that our love could prosper, " she declared firmly, her eyes burning with a fire that had Serenity lost in them.

Serenity nibbled on her bottom lip nervously, shivers going up and down her spine as her body started to tremble and break out into a sweat. "I … I … can't ask … that … of

… y-y-oh …" she broke off, losing consciousness as Saniya frantically called her name and shook her.