Picking up where the last chapter's cliffhanger. After figure out what it going on with princess and prince, the group decides to head back to Mamoru's. While at Mamoru's, they have quite a few revelations.
(Late Sunday Afternoon)
Though it took some time and seemed like forever, Ryo made it back to the clearing where Sailor Venus, Princess Serenity, and Prince Endymion had performed the ritual with Kunzite. He saw the Sailor Guardians and the Shitennou Knights who they had managed to save had clustered around the prince and the princess. "I was afraid this might happen," Ryo said.
Kunzite glanced at Ryo and pulled his sword out. "You," he said and then realized that he looked familiar. "I know you. Why do I know you?"
Ryo smirked at him, knowing full well that Kunzite was ready to protect his master and his true love at all cost. "My name is Ryo Urawa," he told him. "I'm also the Yellow Rainbow Crystal carrier. The one with the ability of seeing the future. I was part of the evil Prince Endymion's plan to recapture the Rainbow Crystal carriers."
"Kunzite, he's the one who's been helping us," Sailor Venus informed him. She knew she was the only one awake who could possibly talk him down. "He's the reason why you and Nephrite have your memories back. He's the reason why we have gotten this far."
Kunzite flicked his gaze to Sailor Venus, taking in her words.
"You're a very dangerous person to know," Ryo told him. "You would've wiped all of them out if this hadn't worked out in our favor. What clenched it was Prince Endymion and Nephrite combining their strength against you to knock you down, so Venus could talk you into trusting her."
"And why are you doing this?" Kunzite asked. He still wasn't convinced that Ryo was a good person. He had it in his mind that he would protect everyone here, not just his master and his true love. "Why are you helping us?"
"Because if I don't," Ryo told him, "everyone will die. Including you." He pointed to Sailor Venus. "Including her." He pointed to Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity. "Including them." He knew to point to everyone that mattered to him. "And everyone else on this planet. Including me."
"Well, then," Kunzite said as he placed his sword back into his scabbard. "I'm not going to argue with that logic."
Ryo rolled his eyes at Kunzite as walked over to Sailor Mercury. "Mercury," he said slowly. He knew what he needed to do here.
"Ryo, I thought I did everything…" Sailor Mercury looked up at him. She was holding her small compact computer and had her visor over her eyes. She hadn't quite started their vital scans as she was too busy blaming herself for putting her princess and her true love in this state.
"Mercury, look at me," Ryo said, knowing she was on the verge of a breakdown was going to do his best to avoid that from happening. When she did so, he continued, "This was supposed to happen. You didn't miss anything. The prince and princess, especially in that form, balance each other out, so it looks like on the surface their levels are normal."
"But…"
"Mercury, if they hadn't done the ritual for Kunzite when they did, then Kunzite's ritual wouldn't have worked any other time," Ryo told her, giving her everything he knew. "I promise you. I saw this when I was coming back this way."
"Ryo…" Sailor Mercury said as she walked into Ryo's arms and started crying.
"They're going to be alright," Ryo told her. "I promise."
Off to the side, the scene wasn't completely lost on the two Shitennou Knights that have been saved. "Zoisite is going to have his hands full," Nephrite whispered to Kunzite, "when our master, Princess Serenity, and Mercury resurrect him."
"Yes," Kunzite said. "I agree." However, he put that aside as they couldn't worry about that now and took in what Ryo was informing Sailor Mercury. "There seems to be conditions that need to be met before an awakening or resurrection or whatever this was. So the conditions were met with us. How can we yield similar results for both Zoisite and Jadeite?" Kunzite pondered on those thoughts while also noticing Ryo had calmed Sailor Mercury down enough to finish analyzing their vitals.
"They are alright," Sailor Mercury told the group. "They just need some sleep." Sailor Mercury looked over at Sailor Venus. "It would probably be wise to go back to his apartment."
"Yeah," Sailor Venus said. "I was thinking the same thing." She sighed as she realized they were going to reveal their identities to the Shitennou Knights. "Okay, girls, let's release our transformations."
The other girls nodded and they all released their transformation which also made Princess Serenity turn back into Usagi.
Kunzite and Nephrite stared at them. The two of them looked at each other. "Do you think?" Nephrite asked.
"Only one way to find out," Kunzite said.
The two of them released their own transformations. Nephrite wore a dark blue high school uniform. Kunzite, on the other hand, wore a dark blue buttoned down shirt and black pants.
The girls stared at them as they noticed that their transformation also had released Prince Endymion's. That one simple action had resolved one of their issues.
"What just happened?" Minako asked.
"That's one of the things we need to talk to you about, ladies," Kunzite said. "My name in this life is Kun Shin. I was a university student studying criminal justice at K.O. University."
When he kneeled down to look over Mamoru, Kun recognized Mamoru the moment he saw him in civilian clothing. He remembered hearing about a student from Moto-Azabu Private High School who aced his entrance exams and had decided to attend K.O. University to study medicine.
"And I am Neph Sanjouin. I was a third year at Juban High School," Nephrite said. "Funny as that is the last name I used when I introduced myself to Naru. I guess in the back of my mind I knew that's my real name."
Luna and Artemis had just hopped off the tree at that moment. "Beryl took more from you than we realized," Luna said.
"You two were the advisors of Queen Serenity and Sailor Venus in the Silver Millennium, correct?" Kun asked as he looked over at Minako for confirmation.
Minako nodded. "Artemis is still my advisor, and now Luna is an advisor to the princess," she confirmed.
Ami looked over at Minako. "I think we should get back to Mamoru's apartment before we dive deeper any further," Ami suggested to Minako.
"That's a good idea," Minako said. She looked over at Makoto. "Mako?"
"Yeah, I have Usagi," Makoto said as she walked over to Usagi. With Rei's help, Makoto was able to get Usagi on her back.
"You got her?" Rei asked Makoto.
"Yeah," Makoto answered. "I got her. Not the first time I've held her like this." She looked over at Mamoru. "But what are we going to do with Mamoru?"
Kun and Neph made eye contact and nodded, figuring they were talking about their master. Neph walked over to Kun and Mamoru. They leaned down each grasping one of Mamoru's arms gently to lift him up. Since Kun was taller than both men, he bore most of Mamoru's weight, but he still needed Neph's assistance.
Kun looked over at Minako. "Would this work?" he asked her.
"Yeah, that'll work," Minako said. She looked up at the sky and saw the sky was still an overcast, but it was clear that it was starting to get dark. It had definitely been a hell of a day. "I'm going to have to call Usagi's mom again, aren't I?"
"Minako?" Rei asked, laying her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"We'll see where we are when we get back to Mamoru's apartment," Ami said. "Ryo only knows so much."
"Right," Minako said. "Let's go."
xXx
Carefully, with two unconscious individuals, the Sailor Guardians and the recovered two Shitennou Knights made their way back to Mamoru's apartment. Kun and Neph made note where they had attacked the Sailor Guardians at one point.
While walking, Kun had decided that he was going to make it a point and figure out where exactly all the Sailor Guardians as well as the Shitennou Knights live, so if there is an attack, he would know the best way to get to them.
"I see the wheels turning in your head," Minako told Kun.
"And you still pick up on things about me," Kun told her, catching her smile. He sighed and then realized if they were going to work with the Sailor Guardians as they are meant to. "Figuring out how to protect everyone."
"Give it a rest for a moment," Minako told him. She lifted a finger to let him know she wasn't finished. "We need to get them back to his apartment. I just hope we don't run into anyone."
"Is that a possibility?" Kun asked her. "What day is it even?" When he worked for the Dark Kingdom, it never mattered what day it was. He did what he thought would give him the most advantage for the Dark Kingdom.
"It's Saturday," Minako told him. "So the possibility is very high that we may run into friends." She pointed at Neph. "And it doesn't help that he's in a school uniform."
"What's wrong with my uniform on a Saturday night?" Neph asked, not understanding.
Kun sighed without giving his fellow Shitennou Knight an explanation. "May I remind you he's the Shitennou Knight of Intelligence and Comfort?" he asked Minako.
Minako just laughed knowing exactly what Kun was getting at.
"What?" Neph asked. He did not like being the butt of their joke while pretending to not catch the glance Makoto gave him. It wasn't the first one since they started walking to Mamoru's that he noticed Makoto had glanced at him. To Neph's mind, she asked for space, she was going to get space, at least, until he spoke to Naru, or she calmed down enough and asked him what he wanted.
Makoto was still carrying Usagi piggyback style. Since their revelations at Starlight Tower, she could tell her best friend had lost weight. Too much weight, and it concerned her. She hoped now that they have Mamoru back, her food habits would return back to normal. Or maybe almost back to normal because she remembered how her friend was when it came to food.
Makoto snuck another glance at Neph, and she found that he still does it for her. She knew she asked for space while he figured what he wanted, but now she wondered if she could handle her part of the bargain. She struck it, so she knew she had to deal with the consequences.
Rei, Ami, and Ryo were in the front of the group. "Do we have any idea on how to save the remaining two Shitennou Knights?" Rei asked Ryo.
Ryo shook his head. "No," he told her. "It hasn't been shown to me yet." Ryo looked over at the other two Shitennou Knights. To his way of thinking, they had gone through the biggest hurdle. If they included Prince Endymion, they are more than half way through in saving them.
"It's on us, isn't it?" Ami asked Ryo. "Me with Zoisite, and Rei with Jadeite?"
"Ami, when it came to both Makoto and Minako, they were the final piece of the puzzle of conditions needing to be met," Ryo said. "Once those conditions are met, I get to see the possibility."
"This is so complicated," Rei said.
"I'm the one that's been living with it," Ryo reminded them. "I know how much you are relying on me."
Rei and Ami looked at each other. "Is the responsibility too much?" Ami asked.
Ryo sighed and then chuckled. "No," he answered. "I just wish I could give you the answers to win this war against the Dark Kingdom."
"You're not making this easy for me or easy on me," Ami said, knowing she still had to figure out her choices.
"I'm having the same issue with Yuuichirou," Rei said as they made it to Mamoru's apartment building. "That comment he said last night is still in my head." She held the door open for everyone.
The group filed into the building and then into the elevator. When they were at Mamoru's floor, they filed out and went to his apartment.
"In here," Ami told Kun and Neph as she opened Mamoru's bedroom door.
Kun and Neph laid Mamoru gently on the bed while Makoto kneeled with Minako's assistance and was able to lay Usagi down next to Mamoru.
Even in sleep, as if on instinct, Mamoru wrapped his arm around Usagi and mumbled out, "Usako."
"Mamo," she muttered. She turned enough to move into his arms.
Nobody said a word as they filed out of the room. However, Rei, being the last to leave, had to linger. "If we, her Sailor Guardians, can't keep her safe, please, Mamoru, you keep her safe," Rei said, turning a lamplight so they wouldn't wake in the dark. With that, she turned off the overhead light switch and closed the door behind her to let them sleep.
xXx
"No," Princess Serenity said. "Please let me be wrong." She looked down at her chamberpot and did not see any red in the pot to indict her monthly cycle. She closed her eyes and counted again for what it seemed like the millionth time.
Princess Serenity was most definitely two months late for her monthly cycle, and she knew nobody was going to be happy, least of all her mother, Queen Serenity. Least of all the Gods.
Princess Serenity closed her eyes as she thought about the Gods. Her heart sank. She didn't know who she could turn to, and she was already hearing about the trouble on Earth, and Sailor Venus had informed her that the door to Earth had been closed due to the trouble. She doesn't know when or how it's going to be up.
Princess Serenity needed air. She opened up the door to her balcony. She saw the beautiful blue planet, and she wished for Prince Endymion at that moment.
At that moment, Prince Endymion appeared from below. "Princess Serenity," he said.
Princess Serenity looked below. "Prince Endymion?"
"I apologize for arriving so late," Prince Endymion told her.
"I've been waiting for you," she told him.
Prince Endymion felt guilty as it has been a while since they last saw each other due to the disturbances happening on Earth, but he needed to tell her what he knew. "A terrible thing has happened. It seems that many of my people have been brainwashed by a woman named Beryl. This woman has been possessed by an evil energy called Metalia. As a result, she has convinced many humans that in order to live longer lives, they must take over the moon."
"Who's there?" a castle guard said.
Prince Endymion knew he didn't have much longer time, but he gave the love of his life another lifeline. "I'll see you later at the ball," he told her.
"Hurry back, Endymion," Princess Serenity told him.
Later, they were able to rendezvous in an area outside of the castle. "Beryl is a sorceress," Prince Endymion informed Princess Serenity. "She's using Metalia's power in an attack to attempt to conquer both the Earth and the Moon." He sighed. "Unless I do something, the Moon Kingdom will be destroyed. I'm convinced the only way to stop this war is to eliminate Metalia and wipe out her evil energy. That should put an end to Beryl's plans." He hated asking this, but he had to. "I'm going to need you to help, Serenity. Please believe me. We don't have any time to waste."
All Prince Endymion had to do was ask, and she would help in any way she could. "Yes," she told him.
Prince Endymion just needed to say her name. "Serenity…"
"I love you, Endymion," she told him.
Prince Endymion leaned down to kiss her as a teardrop fell from her.
Princess Serenity couldn't tell him. Not now, after what the Earth and eventually the Moon will be going through. She could also sense that there was something else bothering him, but she tried not to let it get to her.
At that moment, the scene changed. She was longer being held by Prince Endymion. All she could see was red and everything was on fire. This time, she was chasing and calling after Prince Endymion who was chasing after his death.
"Noooooo…." Princess Serenity yelled.
xXx
"Noooooooo…" Usagi shouted as she immediately started crying. She woke Mamoru who was next to her and had their friends running into Mamoru's bedroom to check on them after hearing the commotion. She got up and ran into the bathroom to hide. She locked the bathroom door behind her.
Minako and Kun ran into the room first followed by Makoto, Neph, Rei, Ami, Luna, and Artemis. "What just happened?" Kun asked his master. Everyone could hear Usagi vomiting as well as sobbing in the bathroom.
When they heard the toilet flush, Mamoru was already at the bathroom door making sure Usagi was alright even though he could sense that she was hunched down over the toilet. Though when Mamoru flicked his gaze over at Kun and Neph he knew immediately who they were and would discuss that when Usagi was feeling better. "I wish I knew," he confessed to Kun. "A nightmare?" He closed his eyes when he realized what else it could be. He was angry at himself for not realizing it the first time.
"A dream memory?" Ami suggested noticing Mamoru's reaction.
"Yeah," Mamoru said. He had them in the past, and it wouldn't be a stretch that Usagi would have them as well. They do use those memories to assist in saving the Shitennou Knights. "That would be my best guess."
Mamoru knocked on the door softly as he heard the toilet flush for the second time after she vomited again. "Usako?" He could hear her sobbing heavily on the other side of the door. His heart broke because all he wanted to do was hold her and to tell her everything was going to be alright. "I love you. Come out and let's talk about this. Talk about what happened." He knew he would do anything if she would just come out of the bathroom and just talk to him.
Minako turned to the group. "I think this is going to take a while," she told them. "It's probably best if we give them privacy."
"Minako?"
Minako turned to Mamoru as she knew it was him who had said her name. "Hmm?"
"Thank you," Mamoru said, simply.
Minako nodded as she herded the group out of Mamoru's bedroom. Though, she did wonder what her friend remembered. She knew it had to be about their past lives just from her reaction, and she knew she could trust Mamoru when it comes to Usagi's heart and health. Minako closed the door behind her and wished Mamoru the best of luck.
xXx
In the bathroom, Usagi could hear Mamoru calling out for her even between the tears and hurling the contents of her stomach in the toilet. She knew he was worried because his knocks were getting even more urgent, but she just wasn't ready. She flushed the toilet for the third time in the last hour. She hoped that was the last time she was sick as she laid down on the cool bathroom tile.
Usagi thought she would be okay then she would start crying again.
"I love you, Usako," Mamoru called through the door. "If you're not going to come out, at least, take care of yourself while you're in there." There was a pause. "There's an extra tooth brush under the sink and take a shower if that'll make you feel better. You already know where the towels are."
Usagi wanted to tell him to go away, but at the same time, she didn't want that either. She was so confused.
"I love you, Usako," Mamoru said to her for what seemed like the millionth time that hour. "I'm not leaving until you come out. I promise." She pictured he was probably lying his head against the door sitting cross legged at this point. The scene had comforted her as she realized she liked the feeling of relying on him.
Usagi walked over to the sink to brush her teeth and to get the nasty taste in her mouth. Then she walked over to his linen closet in the bathroom to grab a few towels and then turned on the shower. She just might do what Mamoru suggested as a shower felt like a good idea.
xXx
On the other side of the door, Mamoru sighed with relief when he heard the shower start to run. He was indeed laying his head against the bathroom door, and he was also starting to worry where her hydration levels were and what exactly was left in her stomach. Though he knew the latter two weren't what normal boyfriends worry about, he wanted to be a doctor and knew certain things.
Mamoru heard the shower going and could sense Usagi in the shower, so he had stopped calling to her. He had decided that he wasn't going to move until she was ready to come out.
Rei walked into the room thirty minutes later with a couple slices of pizza on a plate. "None of us want to leave," she told him as she passed it over to him.
Mamoru nodded, taking the plate of pizza, but it meant a lot that they were showing their support to both him and to Usagi. "Thank you," he told her. "That means a lot."
"Do you want an update on what we know so far?" Rei asked. While Mamoru's been talking to Usagi through the door, the others have been getting reacquainted with each other and were able to gather intel from Kun and Neph.
Mamoru shook his head. "No," he said. "I'll get the update as well when she's feeling better." He could stay in the dark a little while longer.
"Just after you were taken, she almost wanted to stop being a Sailor Guardian," Rei told him. "We knew it was because she was devastated because she lost you." Rei furrowed her eyes.
"Rei?" Mamoru said.
"She was acting like this after you had been kidnapped after she lost you," Rei said again as was the verge of a revelation.
"Rei?" Mamoru said, realizing that Rei was having a revelation.
"She lost someone," Rei said.
"What?" Mamoru said. "Lost someone." He was confused about what she had realized. "Rei, you're not making sense."
Rei walked to the bedroom door to open it. "Girls…"
The rest of the Sailor Guardians walked into Mamoru's bedroom and the Shitennou Knights followed.
"The last time Usagi acted like this was when the Dark Kingdom had kidnapped Mamoru," Rei said. "After she lost Mamoru."
"The dream memory," Ami concluded. "You think she lost someone else that was precious to her in the Silver Millennium?"
"Yes," Rei said.
At that moment, Usagi opened the door. She could hear what they were talking about. "Serenity was pregnant," Usagi answered. Her long blond hair was wrapped up in a couple of towels and wearing Mamoru's robe which was dragging on the floor.
Mamoru stood up and hugged Usagi close to him. Now the bathroom door was open, his world was in his arms. "Usako…"
Usagi gently pushed on his chest to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Mamo," Usagi said. "I didn't know how to handle something like that, realizing she had lost their child." Usagi started to tear up, but during her time in the shower, she realized she had scared her true love. She even told herself she would make it up to him. She laid her hand on his cheek. "Thank you for staying, for grounding me. That was exactly what I needed from you."
Mamoru, overcome with emotions, hugged Usagi closer. "Always," he whispered in her ear. "I love you."
"I didn't mean to scare," Usagi whispered back in his ear, letting him know she was aware of the havoc she wrecked on his heart. "And I love you, too."
The Sailor Guardians and the Shitennou Knights felt like they were intruding. "Uh…" Minako said.
Mamoru kissed her forehead. "Go ahead, Usako," he told her.
Usagi nodded. "The day Beryl attacked the Moon Kingdom, Serenity was pregnant," Usagi told them. "From what I'm gathering, she hadn't told anyone." She looked up into Mamoru's eyes. "There's more." She looked over at Kun and Neph. "Does the name Metalia mean anything?" Then she looked back up at Mamoru.
"Wait," Kun said. "There's sounds vaguely familiar."
"It's right there," Neph agreed, "but I can't reach it."
"Same," Mamoru said. "What did you remember?"
Usagi spied the uneaten slice of pizza that was on Mamoru's plate. "I'm starving," she told him. "Can I have that?"
"Usako, you really shouldn't be eating something solid like that," Mamoru said.
"She'll be fine," Ami said. "Trust me."
"Ami…"
"Mamoru, trust me," Ami said.
Mamoru sighed. He knew when it came to her health, he had a feeling Ami wouldn't steer him wrong. Though something told him her four Sailor Guardians have been monitoring her since Starlight Tower, and for Ami to say it was okay must have been a huge step in the right direction despite being ill half hour ago. "Go ahead," he told her.
Usagi seized the plate and kissed Mamoru's cheek in thanks before taking her first bite. "From what Endymion told Serenity, Metalia is the one controlling Beryl. Metalia is evil energy, and is the reason why Beryl is the sorcerer she is," Usagi told the group.
"That's a lead," Neph said. He looked over at Kun.
"I agree," Kun said. "I always thought Beryl was hiding something, but when I was under her command, it wasn't my place to question her."
Mamoru gave Kun a look. "You did not give me that same courtesy," he told him.
Kun smirked. "Sir, it's different," he said.
"And call me Mamoru when we're not transformed as such," Mamoru told him. "Mamoru Chiba." He looked over at Usagi. "And she's Usagi Tsukino."
"I'm Kun Shin," he said. Then pointed at Neph. "That's Neph Sanjouin."
"Kun Shin?" Mamoru said when he heard his Shitennou Knights' name as he had heard the name before. "We go to the same university? To K.O. University?"
Kun looked up at him surprised. "So you've heard of me?" Kun asked.
"It was huge when you disappeared because of your reputation and what you're studying," Mamoru told him. "It was even on the news. Your mom was on campus talking to everyone because she knew there was no way you left without a choice."
Kun closed his eyes. "Oh, Mom…" he said as it hurt his heart a little bit as he wanted to see her. He looked over at Ryo.
"Beryl knows your identity, Kun. Actually, she knows all of the Shitennou Knights' identities," Ryo told them. "It's best to keep your distance from your families until Beryl has been defeated." Ryo looked over at Kun. "I'm sorry."
"I understand," Kun said.
Usagi looked over at the alarm clock on Mamoru's nightstand. It showed 8:35pm. "Is that really the time?" she asked.
Ami looked over and looked at her own watch. "Yes," she answered.
Usagi squeezed Mamoru's hand. "As much as I want to stay and be with you, I should get dressed and go home," she said. "My mom would very much want to see me."
Mamoru kissed her temple and nodded. "Alright," he told her. "I'll walk you home." He was giving him more of an excuse to be with her, but he looked over at Neph and Kun. "You two are more than welcome to stay here for the time being."