the devil within 2

by max333

As the girls and the guys get used to relationships and living normally as senshi & former dark generals can, Evil Endymion struggles to keep his secret of being evil still, while Usagi becomes suspicious of what's really going on all the while all of them deal with the new threat of cardians, & the 'siblings' who each have crushes on our favorite couple and don't like to share.

4. tactical discussion & generals in unison

kera69love: no worries, glad you and the rest of the others are enjoying it cause there's more to come. 😊

1 review, nice, now that were under weigh I hope you enjoy where this is going to go cause there will be some shocking scenes, scandalizing events and much more, so read, review and enjoy!

The devil within 2 ch.4

Usagi POV

The temple grounds were decently warm right now. There was a small chill in the air but that was from meeting so late at night. This was urgent and needed to be discussed. We had a new enemy that was already stealing people's energies. Again. What is it with stealing energy? I wanted to ask yet I knew the answer to that question. Probably the same reason if not similar to the last enemy we had.

The leaves kicked up as I saw Rei emerge from the sitting room, opening up the door for us to enter and join in with the rest, pulling a robe over herself despite the fact her pajama's covered plenty. In her house slippers she stepped to the side to let us inside, all three of us as Artemis walked in lastly. Everyone was already there as the attack did take place further away from the area.

I know we had initially wanted to meet perhaps after school or something tomorrow or technically today only later on at a more reasonable hour but once we sent out the notice that we had destroyed the monster but had new enemies to everyone through the communicators Rei mentioned that she really couldn't sleep anyways. The knowledge that we had new enemies left everyone reasonably unsettled so we all said screw it.

We figured to go ahead and have a meeting, despite the late hour and to get it out now while it was fresh in our minds. The front points would be Artemis and I as we were the first ones there. I stepped further inside and saw Luna sitting at the far end of the room. She wasn't sitting by anyone in particular. Just sort of by herself but watching and having a perfect view of the entrance and therefore saw us.

I could sense her urge to come to me. She nearly got up at the sight of me. She resisted however and remained seated. I saw that she was missing me and even a small smile at her happiness to see me. I wished I didn't miss her too, that I didn't want to see her, yet I couldn't help that tingle of familiarity that struck me at the sight of her. The tinge that told me that my first friend in this, my advisor, was here.

She after all did bring me into this world of wars between good and evil. Showed me that there was a purpose bigger than myself. Or rather she called upon me to do my duty as a Sailor Senshi, a guardian of the moon. I have learned a great deal since then, especially from her. Despite her betrayal she was a prominent figure in my life, one that I have unfortunately had a hard time pretending didn't affect me as much as she has.

I don't want to miss her after what she did, but I do. She may have the 'therapist' in Rei but reality is I could use some therapy myself to look into the issues with clearly focusing on how to move forward. I look to see if things have changed her at all. To see if maybe we can work together to get past this obstacle that is her betrayal. I sometimes still have nightmares about what she did to Mamoru.

I know he senses things off with me sometimes but doesn't ask as he wants me to tell him, yet I can't. Not till I figure out why I'm having them. Unfortunately it's going to remain just between myself and I till I can have that 'OH!' light bulb moment. Then maybe I can get back the loving advisor that actually trusted me, before she decided that my viewpoint wasn't worth taking a chance on even with the evidence I had to my words.

I can still feel the weight of her words when she was disappointed in me. It was worse than whenever my mother was. It was like she didn't respect me at all, regardless of what I did to earn it. So when I see her looking at me with her 'happy to see me eyes', I can't help but feel a glimmer of hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, she sees the error of her ways, that she feels regret for her actions done upon us both.

It's hope that's a bit dashed once her expression nearly darkens and shifts. I realize her gaze is no longer on me but on Mamoru. That's when the tension in the room stands still. No one says a word, perhaps expecting one of us to be upset verbally. Or perhaps expecting out right refusal to be in the same room. One could hear a pin drop, it's so quiet inside. The only sounds that are penetrating the room are the sounds of people breathing.

If one listens closely one could hear Deimos and Phobos outside, their weight on the branches swaying around. I don't want to get too lost in my own thoughts though, not wanting to make things awkward. I look over to see Malachite as he is Endymion's top guard and not one to beat around the bush. From the looks of it he's not too crazy about her being here, but even he knows to put personal feelings aside for an enemy.

Even if the person who harmed his prince is being allowed in the same room as he is during and only for a meeting. I note that it's been a while since we've both been in the same room as her, as we've always made sure to miss her so we can gain that time apart and adjust. To let ourselves feel the aftermath of what happened. To let the anger, the sadness, the acceptance of what happened, give it freedom to ferment.

To dissipate and try to think more clearly. I guess part of me had hoped I could accept and forgive by now. I mean I've always been a forgiving person. Always been one to 'let it go' so that we could move forward. I've always been able to do so. Yet with this it wasn't that easy and I knew why. She hasn't been controlled by evil. She hadn't been under the influence of anyone but herself.

Her own ego. Her own clout was to blame. Her prejudice and hate of him in a sense. Her own insane beliefs that she refused to see anyone else's opinion on. Where she ignored the warnings of others and went with her OWN plans, her OWN misguided path of what she considered wrong over right. Had she just listened to either myself, Mamoru himself, any of the girls or Artemis this could have been avoided.

I remember being so angry at the time and while it's not completely gone the time away has helped in allowing us to move forward and enable us to know that she's making progress with her 'therapy'. Whenever I think that I need some therapy dealing with all of this, I tell myself in my own time, as I don't want to burden Rei with my thoughts or emotions. She already has her hands full with Luna and she does that out of the kindness of her own heart.

Plus she's not actually a 'therapist' she just listens to Luna and gives her sound advice as we all would, but…it is helping Luna as despite the darkened mood I saw in her eyes she didn't act out or give off any negative words. Luna didn't say anything. It would seem Rei's 'sessions' with her are helpful. Something that I'm grateful for. I couldn't give that to Luna right now. My feelings towards both her and Mamoru are too biased to get into it.

Yet as I look at her expression it does soften at the sight of him, compared to beforehand that is, yet I can see the distrust still in there. Something is telling her not to trust him still and even with the time that's been between us it hasn't left her. The room remains silent as she looks back to me and I can see she's torn. Torn between listening to what told her to act as she did outside the dark kingdom, and between what she's been learning in her therapy.

Sensing the mounting tension in the room Rei gently nudges us both towards another corner so we can be not only NOT near her but also not have her in our visuals. It does help but it doesn't erase knowing she's here. Mamoru wraps his arms around me as I push thoughts of her out of my head. We have bigger issues to deal with. Once everyone is settled in Artemis and I begin, first with him then myself. It takes about twenty minutes to give the full version but it's out in the open now.

"So we'll begin shifts to take watch," Makoto suggests as Nephrite adds, "We can take some day shifts while you girls are at school and you can hit up some of the nights while we catch some shut eye."

Everyone seems to be in agreement.

"Everyone can be in shifts so no one is getting too exhausted nor running into one of these…what are we calling these two?" Jadeite asks as we really don't know.

"I really don't know. It's a male and female but that's all we know., I answer,

"I don't suppose we can't just call them thing one and thing two." Minako's question is met with 'are you kidding me?' and subtle giggles from around the room. Malachite looks at her.

"What? I had to break the tension up somehow," She defends. He shakes his head but does have a small smile on his face from her words.

It's Artemis's question that has us going from giggling to seriousness again. "Luna, do they sound familiar to you? Cause there's something familiar about this that I can't quiet place."

We look to her and she becomes the main focus. She looks around the room, suddenly on the spot as she remarks, "Sorry I don't know. It does sound vaguely familiar, but nothing is popping up or in."

The tension dies back down again but the unease is still present.

"This does sound familiar," Malachite mutters as he looks at Luna. I get the feeling that he wishes he and Luna didn't have something in common right now but he shares her 'this is familiar but I don't know why' puzzled expression before he looks at Mamoru and I. "Can you tell us anything about them? Appearance, powers, anything?"

I wish there was something more I could give them all. I recall back and say, "Unfortunately no, they didn't use any powers other than to disappear and they used the darkness to prevent us from seeing HOW they vanished."

"Truthfully…," Mamoru began. "They seemed to act very disinterested in us, almost more so curious about there being others 'possibly' like themselves. 'Gifted' is what he called it."

"True, he did mention that," I tell them. "Then once I gave them the basic 'stop stealing energy and lets be civil' speech they were less than enthused with complying. Especially the female." I note as I look at Mamoru who nods, "True, she seemed to be a bit more aggressive than the male."

I can see the wheels in Malachite's head turning as he mutters a bit irritated, "Why does that sound familiar?" he asks. I'm not sure if it's to himself or to us.

"Yeah it was only the lion's powers that we saw being used and the friggin' thing was fast too." I add. "Faster than most of the youma that was ever sent out after us."

The guys grow a little uncomfortable at the mention of their former evil days but it's not like it wasn't true. Plus if we were going to work together like this then they'd have to deal with the fact that at one point we were enemies once too. We got past it and now that we were moved on the past was becoming helpful in knowing how this next enemy could respond.

"If that's the case then these people…," Zoisite begins. "Might be possible invaders from another planet whose powers are greater than what's been fought before."

I look at him, "Thankfully my mood wand was able to take care of the monster BUT…if we're going to be expecting more of them then we should also increase field training."

I make sure my words are silently known as a command rather than stating it. Moon princess I may be, leader of the Senshi I may be, but my voice is normally NOT that commanding. Yet I can feel my tone change making everyone in the room silently agree without protest.

"No problem there, but we still do need to figure out WHO they are and what their goal is. If it's energy like the last enemy was then what's the purpose of the energy?" Makoto asks as Ami interjects, "If I recall that was to feed Metallia correct?"

At this Malachite sighs but agrees, "Yeah and with that being said the question remains if these two were controlling it then who do THEY serve and how far are they willing to go to meet their own goals?"

That's when Minako speaks up, "There's always a group behind the group." We look to her. "There's always a chain of command. The youma would follow your orders, you would follow Beryl's and she followed Metallia. Chain of command."

We all nod to her words.

"She's right, and sometimes you guys even checked in with me before heading to Beryl as I was lead commanding officer. Head general," Malachite stated as the guys agreed, realizing that the two new enemies might be more than two that we thought they were.

"So who commands them?" I mutter out loud. "We know the card…things are commanded by them but not who commands them."

I sigh now as I think out loud to the room. "I think once we figure that out the next time we meet we could get a step closer in figuring out who they are and if they can be saved. Or at the very least figure out who they work for and how volatile they are."

They all nod. I look over to see Luna's face as she nods herself to but still looks puzzled. Though by my words or by trying to remember, I'm unsure.

I'm not willing to ask right now though. It's past one in the morning at this point and I'm both mentally and emotionally tired.

Artemis breaks the pregnant pause we slipped into. "Everyone should get home. I'll take care of the rest of this evening and alert you all if I see something else, but I doubt it."

We all nod.

"He's right even when you guys played for the other team you never really did two attacks in one evening much less in 24 hours." My words hit home as the guys bristled slightly as they looked at me before agreeing. I know it's perhaps not the nicest thing to bring up but facts are facts and they can confirm my words. I'm not saying them to be mean but as basic 'you know what I'm talking about' and making it into a hopeful matter of fact bit rather than something that would make them be upset with me. Yes it's a reminder but it's a necessary one that can help us out. That's how my words are meant to be.

"She's got a point, Beryl preferred to have a well-thought-out plan of attack before we'd make a motion to use a youma and strike out," Nephrite agrees.

"Plus the youma's were pretty low ranking that way we didn't use up too much energy," Jadeite recalls himself as we all basically agree that there won't be anymore attacks tonight from the new enemies.

"Since that's the case then Artemis just come home so we can get some shut eye," Minako suggests,

Artemis shakes his head no though. "As nice as that would be, I'd like to investigate the sight further. See if I can sense anything."

This time I speak up, "As much I get why you want to, less human scents and all that, do it in the light out am. Right now, at this time of the night it's dark as hell outside."

He protests, "Princess, while I understand your point, it's best to go while the iron is hot."

I hold firm though, "Artemis it's pitch black outside. The moon has not been on our side so far, barely showing herself when needed. We're all tired, yourself included, and you're a cat, not a bat. You don't have that much better eyesight in the dark."

He retorts with, "With all due respect Usagi, I have better vision than everyone in here."

Luna clears her throat. Artemis barely looks her way as he seems to realize his error, "Correction, I have better vision than any HUMAN in the room."

That's when I recalled cat night vision from classes. "That may be the case but it's still better to get some rest. You're not going to find much of anything at all, especially since we already did a sweep of the area when they left and found nothing." I gently remind him.

He frowns.

"I know you want to help, and we appreciate it, but better to catch a good scent in the daylight hours when you've actually had a good night's rest than to be trying to smell or sense anything when you're tired. Go home."

He sighs, "Fine."

The meeting finally disperses as we all start to head out. I go to leave and I see Luna get up a bit. I see the longing in her to come to me. I feel it myself but I also feel Mamoru behind me, either encouraging me or subtly reminding me of events.

Either way I'm too exhausted to deal with this. I give her a 'next time' expression as I head out, the exhaustion of the evening winning me over. We get outside the temple doors as Mamoru says, "Go on home, back to the apartment. I'll be there later on. The guys and I need to talk."

I wanted to ask but felt too tired to do so, so instead I kissed him goodnight and left for him to talk with his friends who seem to be a bit serious making me wonder what's going on but feeling the weight of exhaustion win out from curiosity.

Evil Endymion POV

I knew that I had to talk with my guys on this one. With the new enemy now in play it threw my previous plans into the air a bit. I was just glad that Usagi was too tired to question why I wanted to talk with them without her there. Not that she knew I didn't want her there, but she didn't question anything. The night was getting pretty late but we needed to talk. The guys sensed it themselves as they looked at me.

They excused themselves from the girls pretty soon afterwards. Not that they complained the girls were tired as they did have school in the morning. Well, normal am hours. I made a notion to follow me to the park area, not by where the attack took place but in a different direction on the off chance that Artemis was able to convince Minako to let him go, or rather go when she fell asleep, I wanted this to be a private conference.

Once we were all alone I sighed, "Okay I know this puts a slight glitch into the plans that I had for us here." I begin as Malachite was the first one to cross his arms over his chest.

"I'd say so," he agrees.

"This is more than a slight glitch considering we still have our nega-powers," Nephrite states, letting the powers float from his hands a bit before forming a fist to stop them. "It's a nonstop current in me."

The others agree.

"I miss the connections to magic that I used to have," Jadeite muttered, holding himself as I've noticed Rei does on occasion. They really were beginning to mirror each other, "I know we have some interesting powers with the nega-energy but still…I can't connect as I used to with my old powers."

His words were less complaint-like and more reminiscent of missing a part of himself.

I nod knowing that this was going to happen at some point, I just wished we had more time before it did happen, "Yeah I realized that as the lion monster came at Sailor Moon. My gut reaction was to use my nega-powers to fight for her," I admit to them recalling my own feelings during the battle. She was good and fast, but the new monster was admittedly faster than previous ones we've dealt with. Malachite merely nods his own understanding to me.

"So do we finally tell Usagi?" Zoisite asks me. That fear of her finding out returns.

"Not yet, we need to be more vigilant and in control of who sees our powers in use." I can see the disappointment in their eyes but understanding as well,

"Like tag team around and make sure we evade the Senshi figuring it out," Malachite deducts as I agree.

That's when Zoisite comes in with, "I do understand the need to keep our powers as strong as possible but by staying this way we are putting strain on our relationships with our loved ones and highness, with all due respect, it would be putting the strain the most on your relationship with Usagi."

The others I can sense are definitely in agreement with him on it. No one says anything but a quick look around and it's easy to see their faces.

They all are in agreement with him on this. They all silently want to be good again despite the strength and benefit of their nega-powers. I know it's not only their memories that's helping but the relationships they've grown with the girls. They finally have a second chance at life with the women they love, and they don't want it to be blown for any reason. I can't fault that for any reason unless I choose to be hypocritical.

You know damn good and well their right, Mamoru tells me. Of course he's agreeing with them, I nearly roll my eyes at it. I'm agreeing with them cause your best friends, your four generals of the four corners know better than your acting right now. At this rate it seems to be the ONLY reason they agree to keep their powers is their loyalty to you.

I wondered if that was true and if so if I was using their own loyalty.

That's when the darkness swirled around…they're loyal to you because of their oath and their friendship, they will follow you to hell and back. They're just getting a bit softened by the girls is all.

I didn't like the implication the darkness made but it didn't mean it didn't ring some truth into the matter. The girls make them stronger, not weaker. The girls give them something stronger than themselves to fight for and while loyalty is strong, love is also an incredibly strong factor. I counter it…and yet they want to give up their powers.

True love is strong…but does it mean that they are resisting your leadership and will cave into the girls OR does it mean they will have to make a choice?

I pushed the voice away not wanting to think that my generals, the guys I've known in our past lives since we were kids, would make a wrong choice. They were manipulated with dark magic the last time and the only time as far as I see it. It won't be happening again.

"While I understand that there are 'concerns' regarding how things are currently affecting relationships, the powers that we have now are more effective against the new enemies that have come up," I tell them as it does make a few of them sigh in mental defeat of trying to verbally fight me on the matter.

It's then that Malachite remarks, "The new enemies also mean stronger foes to face to which means that we might be more heavily reliant on the nega-powers that before."

He has a point. He looks directly at me, "This will make it that much harder to keep it secret."

I'm wondering if he's trying to convince me to accept that we can't keep up the charade for much longer. He's unfortunately got a point. I look at all my guys and realize that perhaps if they're really all in unison about this, maybe it's time for Usagi and the rest to know the truth, bear through the anger, and arguments and deal with it.

I've got to man up and take this head on. Before I can agree with them though I can feel the energy from Metallia rearing back up again. I know you feel compelled to listen to them but prince…if you do this you will lose her. She is a light in our lives that makes this planet tolerable. If you give up the powers now you will NOT be powerful enough to help her take on the new enemies that are here.

Or do you NOT recall how you only have a few powers to help her? Some roses, a cane and that 'Tuxedo a la smoking bomber' power. That was it. These enemies are stronger, faster and we don't even know who's controlling the two people that you met. You need the nega-powers to be able to help her…to save the planet again. You need me.

I disliked admitting to it but there was a reason I used the nega-powers in my final fights with both Beryl and Metallia. I get a gripping feeling of recalling my lack of powers before and know that I need something stronger to help fight our new enemies.

Don't believe everything that the evil tells you, Mamoru jumps in. it just needs a home to stay alive in. You and the generals are the only hosts left that are strong enough to contain it. You need to confess, and get rid of it as you first promised not only me but to your trusted and loyal generals as well.

At this rate you'll have lied to everyone including yourself and worst of all to Usagi AND…AND you'll even in some regard have proven that Luna had a point and was possibly right in certain ways. Not to mention by continuing to lie you'll change as a person and the evil will only gain more control till even you will cease to exist. Usagi will be vulnerable to its desire and you or I will be unable to protect her. Let's face it you're only allowing this cause you're afraid of losing her and letting your ego win in this.

I hated that Mamoru had a point. My ego was involved in this on some level and so was Usagi's safety to. I couldn't put her safety on the second level for this though.

You won't be, you'll be ensuring it if you go back to being good. You know how limited your powers are, if you get rid of the nega-powers you will be guaranteeing to put her in more danger than before. I couldn't afford to do that.

Besides Endymion…there is no me without you. I am you just as he is you. You will NOT disappear. We are all as one, The darkness says. I look back up and wonder briefly how true it is that they're only here out of loyal obligation and if the loyal obligation to the girls and their love for them is stronger. I know mine is Usagi but…I do what I have to do for her safety too. Even if that means keeping certain things from her.

A mild form of fear and paranoid hit me regarding if their loyalty to me is stronger than their newly formed loyalty to their girlfriends or rather future wives is stronger. Then I chide myself to feeling that way. I myself want to be rid of the nega-powers at some point, I did make that promise as Mamoru stated, these circumstances have just changed is all.

"Once we defeat this new enemy we can resume what was supposed to happen."

Mamoru jumps in though…you mean telling Usagi and the rest the truth, and NOT continuing to lie to them? Cause originally you were waiting for Usagi to be strong enough to take care of everyone at once for healing now this enemy has come up, what next. Another new enemy comes in and you find another excuse to avoid getting healed? Any new enemy that comes in will always be stronger than the last.

I grunt internally knowing he has a point.

It sounds to me like you're making excuses rather than dealing with the actual problem which simply put, is that you need to be healed and get stronger as the fierce Terrain Prince Endymion that your parents, that OUR parents had you trained to be. To be the fair king we were meant to be. To be the wonderful husband Usagi, our Serenity deserves us to be.

I lower my head knowing he's got more points than the evil does. The problem is the evil is right in knowing that we need to be strong for this fight but at what costs? "I am the Terrian Prince," I try as he says…no you're a nega-powered influenced prince with his memories that I made sure you'd retain. That Usagi's love helped us to maintain. Yes you're me and I am you but you're still also evil…you're still Metallia's little puppet in a sense allowing her evil to live through you and through them.

I look up and see his point. We are at this point the only thing left alive that has Metallia's powers in them. Everything else regarding her is dead. Deader than dead. She's only truly gone and unable to be reborn in a sense when Usagi heals us. When she pulls the evil from us, sets us free and the evil becomes purged and is destroyed much like it was with the rainbow crystal carriers when Usagi freed them.

He's not wrong. Usagi has done some remarkable stuff and has gotten the Senshi together, got four young women from several different backgrounds together and became sisters and fought together in this war. A war that none of them asked for. That none of any of us asked for. I sigh as reality begins to set in. I could have gone to Usagi a week or so later to be healed for all of us but I kept pushing it off.

Truth was I liked being more powerful and both Mamoru and the dark influence inside me knows it. I know I need to work on my powers but in the end it just feels like it will take too long and now that I've wasted time in NOT telling her since that week, the week that I should have told her, I know that when she does find out it will only be that much worse. Mamoru's parting words don't help me as they merely frustrate me that much more. Tell me something Endymion, when does this actually end, or does it?

Angry at myself for letting this happen, angry at Mamoru for pointing it out, I can't help but lash out a bit as I say in a more commanding tone than before, perhaps even a bit harshly, "I get that everyone has their concerns…but we need to keeping going on this. Just for a little while longer."

I felt that hit home as several of them put up their hands in defeat as they recognized I'm in no mood for this. Yet they look disappointed in how things went along to.

"We're with you Endymion," Jadeite states as if to remind me.

I nod, "Good, cause in the end we have a new enemy that's out there and we need to keep ourselves trained to. I want to be vigilant and sharp. We have more work now. I want to find out WHO these people are and what they want the energy for, THAT is our concern."

I look to them to see if anyone disagrees with me. "Is that in any way unclear?" I demand of them, no tone giving way to no nonsense as no one disagrees. "Good that's settled then. I'd like to meet at least once a week like this and send me any progress or anything else via text. You've all got phones, use them."

They nod as slowly one by one they disappear, only Malachite gives it a few more moments as if to ask me something before disappearing as well. I think he sensed my internal doubts. My struggles as both the darkness and Mamoru talk to me from within my mind.

Yet he didn't voice them. Though out of not wanting to anger me or out of giving it some time to see if I have any other reactions as I was a touch harsh just now. I grumble as I shimmer from the area and reform myself back in my place. I go to my room and see that Usagi is sleeping peacefully in the bed.

Already in loose clothes for easy on and easy off. I look at her and see her beauty through the moon light that has now decided to come out. I look at it as I wonder if it's in some way mocking me. Showing me what I have now as I might not have it later on or if I'm reading too much into it as I've been doing on occasion. I touch her hair and notice it's wet still. She must have taken a quick shower before falling asleep.

Normally I'd joke and say that she should have waited for me but at this rate we both need the sleep. As much as I want to slip in next to Usagi and get some sleep in, I still feel a bit wound up from not only the fight but also from my conversation and inner dilemma. I decided to take a shower for myself and let the hot water do its magic trick of lulling me into sleep. I wash up for about ten minutes.

Doing the standard balls, ass, and feet before the warm water encourages me to wash the rest if I'm to lay next to a perfectly scrubbed down Usagi. I know how she washes herself. Very meticulously believe it or not as she makes sure to hit every pore, every speck of dirt and every inch of skin. Sometimes I wonder if it's a form of therapy for her, to scrub the day off and go into the new day or new battle with that clean skin.

Almost like a reptile shedding off its skin for the next go round. If she were in here right now and already scrubbed down she'd be on her knees before me as she has been before. Just the thought of her getting ready to give me fellatio is enough to rev me up a bit. She has these little tricky ways to get me to nearly bow down to her even when she's on her knees before me, begging for more of her.

I look to the door knowing she's on the other side of it, sleeping peacefully on the bed. It would be so easy to go in there, pull the covers down, spread her legs and wake her up in some of the most sinfully delightful manners possible. I can imagine it now, letting my wet feet leave a trail of water, getting the wood floor damp as I go into the bedroom. Pulling down the covers to then undressing her body.

I get hard at the thought of it then realize something. Something that I'm not sure is either good or bad…I'm in the room. At some point I went from fantasizing about being with my love to acting on it without realizing it. I'm wet from the shower as I hear it going on and the chill from the air outside barely breaches me. I know it's there but the heat from my body enables me to ignore it with ease.

She mumbles my name under her breath, "Mamoru…" it's touching as it makes me look away. I rarely hear her say 'Endymion' for obvious reasons but still, it's Mamoru she says, not my name, not really. I shouldn't be jealous or upset by it, after he is me and I am he…we are one in the same and yet he and I are definitely, with or without evil different people. The same yet not as close personality wise…I hear him say.

I cannot disagree though. Where Mamoru and I are both methodical, highly intelligent, anal retentive even, I am far more passionate of a man whereas he is far more restrictive and reserved with himself.

HEY! He protests.

I can't help but counter…"tell when you first felt affection towards Usagi and then tell me when you wanted to act then when you actually had the guts to act then tell me I'm wrong."

That's not…that wasn't the point. I am passionate about her, about my dreams in life. I just work towards what I can and at the time while I cared for her, I had a lot going on…besides let's face it, she can do way better than us.

I looked down at her and looked back to the shower we left and felt that perhaps he had a point. By the way, you leaving the shower wasn't us…I frowned at that as I looked back still.

It was the darkness that encouraged you to use your powers subconsciously to go to her and take what you longed for…to take her. That's when the darkness spoke up. I merely encouraged the prince to be with his beloved…with our beloved. I can sense it in her too, that she wants you. The bond between you two is strong…it tells me. Mamoru pipes in with…true it is strong BUT it can be so much more stronger and even nearly mind sharing IF you were to be free of evil and gave fully into the connection between you two.

This makes me wonder now on a few different things as I walk back to the shower and switch it to chill…is the darkness really gaining control over me to make me act without realizing it? Two could my connection to Usagi be stronger IF the evil was gone? Or more so as I shut the water off completely then make my way back inside the room with a towel on as I slowly slip into bed next to her and feel her arm wrap around me.

The third question that I've been avoiding since this all started, will Usagi forgive me for my deception to her even if it was in her best interest? Or am I conning myself so I can absolve my own guilt?

I sigh lowly and realize that both Mamoru and the evil have good points but its also why I pointed things out to Mamoru about some of the differences between us, there are things I'm willing to do that he's not…as I put my arm around Usagi and hold her close I know that no matter what happens I need to keep her safe and ensure the world is kept safe too.