Midnight blue eyes scanned their surroundings with the precision of a predator. When the last light extinguished from inside a nearby residence, Fighter adjusted her hood and rose to her full height.
Hopefully, her sister is asleep already.
Tugging at her cloak on last time, the starlight leapt over to her love's window and eased right on through into the room.
Her eyes landed on her wife's sleeping form on top the cot she was lying on. The sight of Serenity's angelic face made her heart melt.
She looks so sweet right now …
Taking a moment to ease the window closed, she moved over to Serenity's cot to lie beside her. Her arms spooned the petite woman's body against hers in a lover's embrace.
Her lips grazed her cheek in a ghost of a kiss, drifting over to the corner of her mouth.
"I've missed you, Odango, " she whispered into the side of her mouth, pecking her lips. Her free hand came up to thread through her wife's golden locks.
A sigh was heard from Serenity's lips as the golden beauty burrowed herself into the new body occupying her bed.
"Sani …" she breathed with a moan. Her arms wound themselves around her husband's without awakening from her medicine-induced sleep.
A gentle smile graced the face of the hardened warrior. She was tempted to allow her love to remain within the gates of Elysian, but what she had – no, needed to tell her could not wait with the amount of time they've had together.
Please let her see things my way for once ...
Taking in a deep breath, Fighter pressed her lips against the tip of her nose.
"Wake up, Odango. Breakfast is ready, " she cooed to her, watching as the other girl's eyes sprung open.
"'Breakfast'?" Serenity murmured sleepily. Drool was evident at the corner of her mouth as she began to stir from her sleep.
"Yes, breakfast. I even made you some Danishes, " Fighter continued tenderly, hating herself for doing this to her wife but it was the only way to coax her awake.
I need to tell her everything before everything falls apart again.
Serenity, as the dark-haired woman predicted of her wife, instantly perked up at the mention of her favorite treat.
"Yes! Did you remember to add lots of custard this time? You did promise to do that the last time we've had breakfast together and - , " she rambled on in excitement, but was cut off by Fighter's hand to her mouth. Her eyes glittered with the glee of a puppy receiving a treat.
Fighter could feel her heart break at the sight of pure happiness on Serenity's face, already predicting the pain her news will cause the golden beauty.
"Odango, you must lower your voice. We are still at your cottage with your sister, " she told her evenly. Her eyes scanned Serenity's face, watching as some of the radiance in it paled at the sudden reality check.
"Oh … I'm sorry … I forgot for a moment …" she mumbled against her hand, a blush tinting her cheeks. Her eyes averted away from her husband's in shame. Her teeth gnawed at her lower lip.
Fighter's heart melted at the sight before her. Her hand moved down to tilt the blonde woman's face up to face hers.
"It's okay. You're still very much ill so you're not thinking clearly, " she whispered endearingly to her, taking a moment to place a kiss atop the crown of her head.
Serenity sighed dreamily. "I wish that we were at our place alone. Away from everyone, away from the rules, away from our duties … Just us and our love."
"So do I …. You just don't know how much …." Fighter agreed, mumbling the last bit into Serenity's golden locks. Her arms tightened around the frail body cradled inside of them.
Azure blue eyes gazed up into midnight ones, a twinkle dancing inside of them. "But at least you're here to take care of me. I love Evey to death, but she's suffocating me!" she whined with a pout.
Fighter cracked a smile at that, giggling. "She's your sister. She's meant to be overbearing, Light."
"Yes, but I don't like how she keeps babying me!" Serenity huffed, full-on pouting now.
The dark-haired woman laughed quietly at her lover's cute display. A teasing comment on her lips, but it died when an ice cold cup of water was doused onto her in the form of her thoughts.
Stop putting it off, Saniya! You've gotta tell her now! It'll only hurt her more if she hears it the day of your departure! So tell her!
Fighter bit her bottom lip. Her moment of bliss permanently ripped away from her for the evening with the news weighing heavily on her conscience.
Serenity, noticing the change in her lover, frowned. Her hands came up to cup the starlight leader's face, shifting it down to hers.
"What's wrong, Saniya? Did something happen to you earlier?" she asked, her eyes tracing every feature of Fighter's face.
Tongue coming out to lather her bottom lip nervously, Fighter placed her hands on top of her love's smaller ones. Her eyes looked everywhere but at Serenity.
"Saniya, if it has to do with any receding guilt that you have from whatever happened during your mission – you don't have to hide it from me. It's natural that you feel bad for … " the blonde bride trailed off for a moment to bite at her own lower lip before continuing, "Taking a few lives for the sake of your mission, even if I don't like it. I could never see you as monster. You'll always be my Saniya, my shooting star."
The dark-haired woman was tempted to crack a smile at Serenity's declaration, but with the words plaguing her mind at that moment – she couldn't find it within herself to.
Shaking her head, she sighed. "Sere, I appreciate that you feel that way but that wasn't what I wanted to discuss with you."
The frown on Serenity's face deepened as she propped herself up to lean over her spouse. "If not that, then what is it?"
"I have to leave again."
There, it's out now.
The frown melted away into a look of shock. Topaz-like eyes peered up at Fighter in disbelief, widening to the size of saucers.
"What do you mean 'leave'?" Serenity sputtered out. Her eyes pleaded with the warrior, hoping against hope that all of this was some kind of sick joke and not reality.
However, her heart sank when the look of sorrow inside Fighter's eyes spoke volumes before the bluenette opened her mouth to confirm her deepest fear.
"As in they're sending Healer, Maker, and myself away on another mission and we don't know for how long this time, " she breathed, averting her eyes from the heartbroken look upon her angel's face.
"But you just returned!" Serenity nearly cried out loud if it weren't for the silent reminder of her sister's presence in another part of the cottage.
Fighter bit her lip. Her heart sunk at hearing the outright pain in Serenity's voice with her small exclamation.
I knew that she wouldn't take it well. I knew it, but …
Eyes hardening, the bluenette brought her gaze up to meet Serenity's tearful ones; her resolve hardened with determination for her next few words.
"But, I wouldn't have to go …"
Serenity sniffled, wiping at her eyes. "You wouldn't?"
Fighter cupped the blonde beauty's face within her hands. "No, I wouldn't have to leave you if you were to just ask me to clip my wings for you. I'd do it in a heartbeat and you know it, " she swore, her eyes peering into her love's tear-filled ones as they widened in horror at her words.
Wrenching herself away from the dark-haired warrior's grasp, Serenity shook her head. "No! I won't allow that! You've worked so hard to be a senshi. I could never ask you to let go of something that you love so much! It's your life!" she exclaimed, her voice barely staying below a whisper with how much she just wanted to scream and shriek at the top of her lungs how wrong it was for Fighter to suggest such a thing again.
Narrowing her eyes sharply, Fighter tugged her hysterical wife into her arms. "You are entirely wrong about that, Odango. You are my life, not my duty. You are the reason I breathe, not my henshin or whatever. Hell, if they were to ever make me choose between my henshin and you – I'll always choose you. You and nothing else …"
More sniffling and sobbing. "You c-c-can't me-mean that, Sani …"
"But I do mean it, and I will give up my powers if it means having a life with you, " Fighter whispered, brushing away the shorter girl's tears. Her lips grazed tenderly against her forehead in a ghost of a kiss.
"I can't … I won't …" chanted a distressed Serenity, shaking her head. Her body quivered within Fighter's arms.
"But, Odango ..." started Fighter, but stopped herself when she felt the intense amount of heat radiating off of her wife. A pale blue glow surrounded her for a moment before her civil form took the place of her senshi one. Her hand came up to touch Serenity's forehead, causing her eyes to widen in horror.
She's burning up!
Pulling away to scamper off the bed to retrieve any means to help her love cool down, Saniya rushed over to the basin on the other side of the room. She took a moment to test its temperature before being satisfied with its coolness.
Her hand clinched onto the rag while her free one grasped the pale pink tonic. Her feet hastened back over to Serenity's side, placing the rag upon her forehead.
"Shhh, Light. It's okay. I'm right here, " she cooed down to her, lying back down beside her. Taking a moment to take a swig from the bottle, she pressed her lips against Serenity's.
Serenity opened her mouth and swallowed the tonic. Her sobbing ceased to small whimpers as she burrowed herself into Saniya's embrace.
"Please, don't leave me again …" she whimpered into her chest. Her consciousness slowly slipping from the tonic.
Saniya stroked her hair with her free hand, using her left one to dab the cool rag against her forehead.
"I won't. I promise you that I won't. Just get some rest, OK? I'll be right here with you in the morning, " she whispered, peppering her face with kisses.
"You promise?" breathed Serenity, peering up at her through heavy-lidded eyes. Her breathing started to deepen slowly as she started to drift back into Elysian.
The dark-haired woman cracked a gentle smile. "Yes, I do promise."
A smile spread on Serenity's face. Her eyes slid closed as her battle for consciousness became hopeless. "I … love … you …"
"I love you too. I truly do with all my heart and soul, " Saniya replied, watching with pure love as she slept. She could feel herself slowly easing into the throes of sleep, but continued with her ministrations.
"I'll always love you, even if I were to lose my glow. You are the light of my life …" were her last spoken words for that night, hanging onto her consciousness for a few more minutes before she fell victim to sleep as well.
However, the two lovers were both unaware of the slight crack that soon closed as a certain seamstress padded away with many questions on her mind.