Earth Guardian Prince Endymion

By Senshi of Ruin and Mizu no Senshi

Season One Recap:

(Mamoru’s POV)

“I know what you want to say and it’s alright. I know it’ll be difficult at first, but I can respect that you have a new life now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That we can never be together. That, in this world, you are Chiba Mamoru and what we had in the past life is irrelevant now. I can accept that and it will hurt me, but I’ll try to be strong this time. I can understand that you have no wish to be tied to me.”

Mamoru smiled affectionately and started across the room towards her, “Baka.”

“Who are you calling an idiot?” she whirled around just as Mamoru drew her into his arms. Uttering a stunned gasp, Usagi melted into his embrace and uttered a choked sob.

“Why do you think I’m here? Usagi, you are very special to me, both in this life and the last.”

“Mamo--” she was cut off when Mamoru cupped her chin in his hand and lent down to kiss her. As their lips met, Mamoru felt a strange sort of finality descend upon him. Everything had finally come full circle. Starting from today he could truly live his life as Chiba Mamoru.

After the final battle, everything started to finally come into place. Usagi and I could have a relationship and the Shitennou could get back to their normal lives. Even the Senshi, who had been reborn, were able to find happiness in this lifetime.

I stayed in Tokyo for a few weeks, just long enough to see Usagi through her year-end exams. She didn’t do as well as I had hoped, even with Ami coaching her, but that is Usagi and I wouldn’t change her for the world. Still, after the mission ended I found it very difficult to settle into a normal life again, which is ironic really seeing as I wanted a normal life more than any of us. Instead I went on a road trip around Japan for a year to get my head together. I had always wanted to travel and see more of my country so this was the perfect opportunity for me. Still, it really gave me a taste for travel and during the summer months, after coming back to Tokyo, I would often get a job out of the city when it was hottest. I dropped out of my college course before leaving. All the course did was remind me of Hina, and it is still painful to think of her now. At the moment, I’m just concentrating on earning enough money to pay for the wedding. On Usagi’s eighteenth birthday I asked her to marry me. I love her even more so than I did four years ago and want to spend the rest of my life with her. She said ‘yes’ and is busy planning for the wedding, which is in a few days time. I’m a little apprehensive despite myself, but Usagi seems anything but nervous, but, again, that is Usagi all over and I would be concerned if she were anything else.

The Shitennou have got on with their lives, too. After all that happened, Masaki also took a year out. He also needed some time to adjust. He then went back to college where he’s studying to become a psychologist. He once confided in me that it was his experience in the Dark Kingdom that first made him want to pursue this particular career path. His mother, Tori, adjusted well to single life. She and Haru divorced two years ago and Tori has managed to go back to work. Her self-confidence is still pretty low after years of bullying and Masaki still sees her every other day to make sure that she’s all right. He doesn’t like to talk about Haru much. I don’t think he’s seen him since that day.

Taro finally quit working in Crown, which was a relief for both him and Motoki; I was pretty sure that they would have killed each other if they continued to work together for much longer. Taro became involved in the community centre where Kisho helps out and now coaches the local basketball team. He also got a job with an IT firm. I must admit I couldn’t really see him working there for long, but he and Ami have recently got an apartment together in Shibuya so I figured he needs the money, especially with Ami studying in college.

I must admit, out of all them, the one I expected to have the hardest time adjusting was Seiichi, but over the last four years his career’s just gone from strength to strength. His music has now become very popular in Europe and he’s currently performing in England for six months. Tetsuya is still his manager in Japan, but didn’t go to England with him as the studio felt that their people already over there could manage things. I think this displeased Tetsuya slightly, but Seiichi didn’t really say much on the subject and it wasn’t my place to ask too much about it.

Kisho, also, took up studying after the final battle as is just completing a four-year course to become a science teacher at one of the local schools. He also has a job as a classroom assistant at a high school to gain classroom experience. Believe it or not, I think Kisho misses the mission most. I think for so long he had felt that it had been a part of his destiny. It was a part of all of our lives, but I’m now glad that I can put it all behind us and look towards our, somewhat quieter, futures.

******

Act Fifty-One:

“So” Motoki said, sounding somewhat anxious, “You sent Usagi-chan shopping for her wedding dress today?”

“Yes” Mamoru repeated impatiently. Ever since he had appointed Motoki the job of being his best man for the wedding, all his friend had done was constantly ring him up to go through everything that had to be done before hand. Mamoru in all honesty didn’t know who was more excited, Usagi or Motoki.

Mamoru had to admit that he was more than a little apprehensive as the big day drew nearer; now only two days away. When he had asked Usagi to marry him on her eighteenth birthday, he had envisaged that they would wait a few months but Usagi, being typically Usagi, wanted to marry before the winter and thus the date had been set for the 15 July. Mamoru didn’t really mind, or at least he hadn’t at the time, but it had given them so little time to get everything ready. It was by sheer luck alone that the local church had a cancellation and could fit them in on that day.

Now he was starting to think that perhaps they should have waited a bit longer after all, and Motoki’s constant worrying didn’t help matters.

“You sent Usagi-chan shopping for her wedding dress today?” Motoki said again, thus irking Mamoru enough to demand to know what was so wrong in that.

Motoki shrugged, “Mamoru, you know I like Usagi-chan, right, but she does tend to…”

“Tend to what?”

“Go a little over the top.”

Mamoru knew what Motoki was trying to say and he smiled and hurriedly reassured his friend, “I know, that’s why I sent Ami-tachi with her.”

“I see” Motoki nodded, far from reassured.

“Usagi knows that we have to keep costs down if we want to afford our own place.”

“What is wrong with the apartment you have in Juuban?”

“It’s only a rented one. We want a home that is our own. I’m sure you can understand that.”

“I do” Motoki confirmed and then shook his head, and slyly, “Don’t forget that Ikuko-san said you were both welcome to stay with her.”

Mamoru frowned at this. Ikuko had offered, but he was loath to take her up on it. If he was going to become Usagi’s husband then he wanted to be able to provide for her from the beginning and, in any case, they needed their own space and he said as much to Motoki.

Sensing that this was still a sore subject, Motoki hurriedly changed the topic of conversation and said instead:

“I spoke to Naru-chan this morning. She wanted to know if she and her friends could decorate Crown themselves. I said that was all right.”

Mamoru nodded and said that this was fine, that familiar queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach returning with all this wedding talk.

“I had a feeling it would be” Motoki answered to this. The reception was going to be held at Crown.

“Oh!” he suddenly exclaimed, as though a thought had just occurred to him, “Have you got the honeymoon destination sorted out yet?”

“Kisho-tachi told me that they would arrange it” Mamoru snapped, not really wanting to talk about the wedding anymore. “It’s their wedding present to us,” he added as an after thought.

“I see. What does Usagi think about this?”

“She was happy that we didn’t have to pay for it.”

“You know what I mean.”

Mamoru sighed, “I think she was a little disappointed that we couldn’t chose a place together, but she knows the situation, as much as I hate having to constantly spell it out for everyone else.”

“Are you getting cold feet?”

“Of course not.”

“It’s just that you’ve been snapping at everyone more and more as the day draws nearer.”

“What if I am?”

“Then shouldn’t you tell Usagi?”

“She is really looking forward to this wedding. Why would I want to spoil that for her?”

“What if you’re still nervous on the day?”

“I won’t be.”

“Are you sure?” Motoki persisted, “Look. I’m not trying to cause any trouble for the two of you, but if you are having doubts then perhaps it would be better that you talked about it before committing yourselves?”

“There are no doubts” Mamoru said, more to assure himself than Motoki, “I appreciate your concern, but I love Usagi.”

“I know but--”

“Motoki.”

“Okay” Motoki said, with a tone that clearly said ‘fine, I’ll drop it’. “I’ll see you a bit later on then?”

Mamoru answered that he would and was glad to hang up the phone.

But if you are having doubts then perhaps it would be better that you talked about it before committing yourselves?

They weren’t doubts as such, Mamoru thought to himself as he set the phone back down, and walked into the small kitchen and stared absently out of the window to watch people walking the streets of Tokyo below. From the day that the Dark Kingdom was defeated, he had known that he would spend the rest of his life with Usagi and he would have it no other way, but it didn’t mean that he couldn’t get nervous before the big day? He suspected that Usagi too, deep down, was a little apprehensive. Mamoru certainly had no doubts about not wanting to go through with it. It was just that Usagi could have fun with all the preparations whilst he was constantly worrying about the money and keeping things low key and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Usagi deserved her happiness and Mamoru would never stand in the way of that, thus allowing her to get on with things.

His ‘nerves’ would die down soon enough. It was the pace of it all more so than anything. Once the wedding was over Mamoru was confidant that he would be wondering why he had ever been concerned to begin with, or so he hoped.

******

Tsukino Usagi felt her heartbeat increase rapidly to twice its normal rate as she stared up in awe at the beautiful display of dresses in the shop window. Even now, this close to the big day, she couldn’t quite believe that this was happening. She was getting married. After everything that had happened to get to this point, Usagi still wasn’t sure how this was all possible. It was as though it were some kind of dream and any minute she would wake…

Usagi nodded, her gaze now cast out in front of her. Across the horizon all she could see was darkness…

“That is the future,” the Princess said, taking another step towards her reborn self, “Your future.”

“Why is it so dark? Will there be darkness in my future also?”

The Princess smiled, “The future is something that cannot be touched. It is a fragile thing and forever changing. If you were to see it clearly now then you might do things differently.”

“Our future” Usagi whispered softly as she lightly touched the locket around her neck. The Princess had been true to her word and had never returned. For four years the Ginzuishou had remained cold and lifeless but lately… it was still warm now, beneath her fingertips. Usagi shuddered as she recalled the darkness that had lain in their future then. Had been nothing more than a mask to shield her from knowing what was to come or was there something more sinister at work here?

“Usagi-chan?” Mizuno Ami enquired softly when she saw the somewhat dazed expression on her friend’s face, “Daijobu?”

“Hai” Usagi nodded quickly, as the other girls’ attention quickly fell upon her.

“It’s probably nerves, right Usagi-chan?” Minako said in response to this.

Nodding again, a little too enthusiastically, Usagi couldn’t help but smile when looking upon her friends. The former Dark Senshi, being reborn older than their Princess in order for them to led independent lives in this world, were now 22 and had adjusted well to their new existence.

Mizuno Ami, formally Dark Mercury, was studying to become a doctor. She often told Usagi that it was because she wanted to take peoples pain away and Usagi couldn’t help think that perhaps this stemmed from her guilt about what she did when in the service of Beryl. Ami was still with Kimura Taro and they had recently bought an apartment together.

Hino Rei, Dark Mars, still retained some of her magical abilities. These took form as sixth senses, which allowed her to see more than perhaps the other girls. Rei, over the years, had become very in tune with these powers and now helped run the local Hikawa Shrine.

Kino Makoto, Dark Jupiter, discovered that cooking and flower arranging were her passions. Working as a trainee chef in a restaurant in Shibuya she gradually worked her way up and now owned a third of the said restaurant. Her flower arranging became a hobby and an added source on income for her. Makoto arranged bouquets for weddings and had arranged Usagi’s for her. Makoto, like the other Senshi, seemed content in her new life.

Aino Minako, Dark Venus, chose to pursue her own music career. She had a love for singing and stage quickly became a popular idol in Japan in the last year and was currently recording her fifth single at the Pento Studios but had taken time out to help Usagi shop for her wedding dress.

“Usagi?” Minako broke into her thoughts.

“Nani?”

“Baka” Rei laughed, “We’re not going to get you a dress if you stay standing by the window all day.”

Usagi smiled, “Sorry, minna, it’s just…” she shook her head, “It’s nothing.”

“What is it?” Ami asked, instantly concerned.

“I can’t believe that… that after all we’ve been through… this is like a dream.”

“Well” Makoto stated softly, “After all that’s happened, no one deserves to be more happy than you, Usagi.”

The girls, even now, preferred not to speak of their time in the Dark Kingdom, or the mission in general. They would avoid the topic, but if they had to speak of it at all, they would become very quiet and hurriedly change the subject. Usagi didn’t blame them, but this led to tension, especially between them and the former Shitennou.

“Arigato” she answered Makoto, and then added that perhaps they should look for the bridesmaid dresses first, in a bid to ease the situation. Usagi had been torn when deciding on ‘two bridesmaids’ as Mamoru had originally told her, but Usagi had pleaded with him until he gave in, despite the added cost, that all four girls could be her bridesmaids.

Now, as they entered the shop, Usagi could see the possible flaws in her decision as each girl went to a different end of the store and selected a dress before turning around and declaring:

“Usagi, we should all wear this one.”

The dress that Ami had selected was crème in colour and very modest in comparison with some of the other dresses in the shop. The hem stopped just before it reached the floor and the neckline was just high enough to hide more flesh than most of the dresses. Stitched into the bodice of the dress were little crème sakura shaped petals and the cuffs of the sleeves were laced and also decorated in a similar way. The fabric was made to cling at the hips, showing curves without appearing too sexy. Ami wasn’t very adventurous with her clothes and Usagi felt that perhaps the bridesmaids’ dresses should be a little more fancy and silently shook her head. Ami smiled, to show that she didn’t mind, and hurriedly put the dress back on the hanger.

Turning to Minako and Rei, Usagi noticed that the two of them pushed hurriedly forward, both indicating that they wanted her to look at each of their choices before the other one. This friendship/rivalry that they shared was sometimes temperamental and thus she decided to look at both dresses in the same time, comparing them side-by-side rather than be the cause of yet another heated argument between them.

Minako’s choice was the exact opposite to Ami’s. Revealing in every way possible, the dress went in at the waist and came out just enough to cling at the bottom, the hemline stopping just before the knees. The v-shaped neckline was low enough to give the guests more than an eyeful of flesh when the wearer bent over. The dress had no sleeves and had a separate lace garment to wrap around the wearers shoulders.

Usagi knew that both Ami and Makoto would be uncomfortable in such attire and that Rei would, too, although she would deny it as to not lose face in front of Minako, but she delayed passing judgement until she had taken in Rei’s choice of dress.

Made from white silk, Rei’s was slightly less revealing than Minako’s but more so than Ami’s. She, too, had chosen one where the hemline came down just half an inch below the knees. The fabric itself was plain and simple, with a white lace bow that tied around the waist and around the back of the wearer. The sleeves stopped just before the elbow and there was a pair of matching silk gloves to accompany it. Again, Usagi felt that it was a little boring and slowly shook her head to both dresses.

Disheartened, the girls put them back on the racks and went to stand beside Ami as Usagi turned to Makoto’s choice.

Makoto’s choice was slightly more tomboyish than the others, but the pale lavender fabric was just delicate enough not to accentuate this fact. The hemline stopped two inches below the knees. As with Minako’s there were no sleeves and it came with some short, optional, gloves. There was a decorative bow tied around the waist as with Rei’s dress and the neckline was a little lower than the dress that Ami had picked out but not so low that it was any the less modest.

“That’s perfect!” Usagi declared, seeing the best of the other three dresses in this one alone.

“It is?” Minako asked doubtfully, “But the colour?”

“If Usagi-chan wants that one” Ami said, giving Minako a meaningful look and the idol immediately smiled and announced that it was a very good choice. Rei raised her eyebrow at this, but Usagi chose to ignore them and hurriedly called the store clerk over to get correct sizes for the girls.

“Usagi?” Makoto pointed out softly, as the clerk took sizes from Minako and the others “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Nani?”

“What about your dress?”

Usagi looked away, chewing a little apprehensively on her lower lip, which prompted Makoto to question further.

“Well… please don’t take this the wrong way but…”

“You wanted Mamoru-san to come with you” Rei finished for her as the others made their way back over to them.

Usagi nodded. Mamoru had refused to come with her, simply calling the store before hand and setting up an account with them so that Usagi could put whatever she spent on this account and he would settle up later on.

“I’m sorry, minna” she hung her head miserably, feeling sure that she had offended them.

“That’s okay” Ami answered, “We don’t mind. Why don’t you call and ask him?”

“He wouldn’t come” Usagi admitted, “But how can I chose a dress that he would like if he won’t even come with me?”

No one had an answer for that and Makoto, in a bid to cheer her up said, “Well it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride’s dress before the big day. You wouldn’t want any bad luck, would you, Usagi?”

“No” Usagi mumbled, but she couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by Mamoru’s continuing attitude towards this wedding. It was as though he didn’t care about it at all! They weren’t even allowed to choose the honeymoon destination! Of course, Mamoru had explained that, but Usagi didn’t see why she couldn’t go with Kisho-tachi when they went to book it. Maybe Mamoru didn’t want to marry her after all? Maybe he had realised that he didn’t love her after all? Perhaps this whole thing was just a dream after all?

“Why is it so dark? Will there be darkness in my future also?”

“Usagi” Rei said quietly, “Mamoru-san loves you. He wouldn’t have asked you to marry him otherwise. It doesn’t matter what you wear to the wedding.”

“I know but--”

“But nothing” Minako declared impatiently, “And Rei’s wrong. It is your wedding day and you deserve to look your best.”

“That’s right” Ami added shyly, “You’ll only get married once, Usagi-chan.”

Hearing this from Ami, made Usagi start to think. Ami and Taro had been together for longer than she and Mamoru after all and this should mean…

“Ami-chan? When is Taro-kun going to ask you to marry him?”

“Usagi!” Makoto exclaimed as a blush quickly adorned the quieter girl’s cheeks.

“What?” Usagi pouted, not understanding what she had said wrong, “We could have made it a double wedding.”

Ami looked away, her expression suddenly pained and somewhat sorrowful as she mumbled, “We’re not ready, that’s all.”

“I see” Usagi was slightly troubled at this, but refrained from saying anything more. Turning away, she let out a squeal of delight as her eye caught sight of the perfect wedding dress.

“Look, minna!” she declared, “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“A dress that beautiful must have a hefty price tag” Rei pointed out softly and, upon Usagi checking with the clerk, this was confirmed.

“You’ve already spent more than you should on our dresses” Rei also warned when she recognised the smile that was quickly forming on her friend’s face.

“But Ami-chan’s right. You only get married the once and I’m sure Mamoru wouldn’t mind paying a little more. The dress is perfect, after all.” She pointed out. Mamoru wouldn’t mind at all. Not when he saw her in it on the day, Usagi said to herself.

Her friends, however, didn’t look as convinced until Makoto stepped forward and said, with a smile, “Usagi’s right. It is her wedding day after all.”

Beaming happily, Usagi hurried over to the clerk to confirm her purchases, certain that now she had the perfect dress, there was no way that Mamoru could not want to marry her.

******

“You dare to plead with me? You wish to be shown mercy when you gave Taro none?”

“He got in my way.”

“What about Hina? Did she also get in your way?”

Mio’s fear slowly faded at his words and was replaced by a hardened frown as she answered, “This is war, Kunzite. How can you expect anything less?”

“I didn’t but I swore to protect them both”

“And you failed.”

Four years… she mused softly to herself, a certain of black hair falling across her face to obscure the hateful sneer that had formed on her lips as she absorbed this knowledge with a mixture of bitterness and relief. For so long she had stayed here. Weakened by the final battle to the point of near death, she had barely managed to teleport away, thus saving herself death at Kunzite’s hand.

Then, after the rebirth, she had returned. The Earth now held little joy for her. The planet had moved on and this world no longer had a place for her. Instead she had waited, allowed her body to heal in the remnants of her former existence.

For four years she was forced to wait and watch her most hated enemies happiness. She saw the Dark Senshi find happiness in the very world that had rejected her. Four years of watching Usagi become closer to Mamoru once more and now this… to lose him for good like this… for Usagi to steal him from her side once more was unforgivable.

“And I will not forgive you, Usagi-chan” she whispered, clenching her hand into a tight fist, Kuroki Mio raised her head and reached up with her free hand to wipe away a reaction to her emotions.

Tears were for the weak and she was not so weak any longer. Over the last four years she had waited, bided her time in what was left of the Dark Kingdom, gathered herself a few remaining Youma and crafted herself an army, readying for the day when they would pay. They would all rue the day they crossed her. One by one they would suffer for her pain.

Letting out a low throaty laugh, Mio held out a delicate hand, softly summoning a Youma to her side. True, she was stronger, but in order to fully restore her strength and once again make her mark on the planet she needed energy.

Giving the beast its orders, she dismissed it from her presence and once again, in silence, observed the antics of Tsukino Usagi and her friends.

Usagi-chan… I shall not let you defeat me… not this time…

******

Upon arriving in Crown later on that day, Mamoru was met by the usual chaos that had become the norm since Taro had quit working there. Motoki, unable to find a replacement whom he actually could get along with (Mamoru all the while thinking that he hadn’t got along with Taro), had decided to simply do the extra work himself, which resulted in a whole host of other problems.

The remainders of a children’s party that was held earlier on in the day still littered the floor and Kamekichie’s tank was still covered in pieces of silly string and bits of party poppers.

“Are you sure that Crown will be ready in two days time?” Mamoru asked doubtfully as he made his presence known.

Motoki looked up from behind the counter and nodded enthusiastically, “Naru-chan and her friends are coming over tomorrow to get things ready.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am” Motoki assured him, “Which reminds me, Usagi-chan just called. She said that she is coming over in a few minutes to show you the bridesmaids dresses.”

Mamoru nodded, still feeling on edge.

“I spoke to the caterer,” Motoki added in a bid to get him to relax, “They faxed me through a menu. I thought that perhaps you would like to sit down with Usagi this afternoon and chose what you would like?”

“I told you that just a buffet would be fine. Makoto said that she would organise it.”

Motoki nodded, brightening up at the mention of Makoto, as he had a crush on her, “I’ll speak to Mako-chan then.”

“What will you speak to Mako-chan about?” Usagi asked loudly, as she entered Crown. Makoto, Rei and Minako stumbled in behind her, all struggling with various boxes of some sort. Ami was carrying a smaller box and seemed very much on edge.

“The catering” Mamoru answered as he hurried to help Rei with the biggest of the boxes.

“I’m fine” the miko insisted softly, but Mamoru had already taken it from her and set it down on the counter, but not before his eye caught sight of the price taped to the top.

Motoki, struggling now with the four boxes that Minako and Makoto were carrying between them, leaned over and glanced down at the price before reading it out loud. Hearing the exact figure caused Mamoru to wince as he mentally pictured the gaping whole in his bank account.

Unfortunately Usagi caught sight of his crestfallen look and said, still as chipper as ever, “I know the dresses cost a little more than what was had agreed, but when you see them I’m sure you’ll agree that they were well worth it. After all, we’re only getting married this once.”

“A little more? Usagi, this is three times what we agreed!”

“I know, but--”

“We were saving for a place of our own” Mamoru said softly, trying to fight his growing annoyance, mixed in with his anxiety over the wedding itself.

“We can still do that.”

“Not when you’ve spent half the deposit on dresses that will be meaningless after that one day.”

“Meaningless?” Usagi took a step back in shock and Mamoru instantly regretted his choice of words when he saw the agonised expression on her face. “Mamoru, this is our wedding day.”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that!”

Usagi shied away when he reached out to her and slowly shook her head, “Don’t I? You don’t want to help with any of the preparations.”

“That’s because I want you to be happy and have the perfect day!”

“How can it be? How can it be perfect if we don’t make the decisions together? If you didn’t want to marry me then you should have said so from the start!”

“I do want to marry you. Usagi--”

“Well you have a funny way of showing it!” the pigtailed girl declared before turning on her heel and fleeing Crown.

“Usagi!” Mamoru shouted, but she paid him little heed.

Sighing, he turned back to the others and was met by disapproving glances from Motoki, Makoto, Rei and Minako. Only Ami seemed a little sympathetic, but looked away, unable to hold his gaze.

He hadn’t meant it… perhaps Motoki was right? Perhaps it was too soon… no… Mamoru loved Usagi more than ever and he wanted to marry her in two days time. In fact he loved her so much that he wanted to do right by her after the wedding. Being married wasn’t just about one day, it was about an entire lifetime of commitment and if Usagi could only see the day itself then perhaps she was the one who wasn’t ready?

“Mamoru” Motoki prompted softly, “You should go after her.”

“I know!” he snapped and instantly feeling worse for it. Adding in a hurried apology, Mamoru quickly followed Usagi’s in footsteps, just wanting to make things right between them again.

******

Tamura Kisho walked hurriedly up the gravel path towards Juuban High School, very much aware that he was ten minutes later than he had planned. Now living out of the city, as he and Ayame had always dreamed, meant that he had to commute or walk into Tokyo every day for work/college, as did Ayame. The train had been late, due to no fault of the driver’s and Kisho had been loath to spend any of his salary on a taxi fare. It was nearing the end of the month and he had little spare, especially as Ayame was in full time education still and her part time job in a café did nothing to supplement their income.

Still, they were happy, although Kisho had to admit he sometimes missed his life of before. None of his friends, to his knowledge, had used their powers since the final battle. Taro occasionally joked about transforming and teleporting from A to B, but as far as Kisho was aware he had never done this. He supposed that it was because none of them felt that they could justify using them in this new peaceful time and Kisho himself had never transformed, despite wanting too. A part of him hated simply moving on and forgetting their previous lives.

Although he had accepted the present, as they all did, Kisho felt that to not transform was to deny a part of themselves. When he was Kunzite, he was still Kisho, too, and not to only accentuated the point that they felt as though they were separate from their Shitennou selves.

Kisho wasn’t sure why he was thinking of this more lately. Perhaps it was because of the upcoming wedding. A wedding which all of them supported and gave their blessings to, but it seemed strange that they would be celebrating the fact that their former Prince was marrying the former Princess.

Of course, he had mentioned nothing to Mamoru or the others. As time went on, despite efforts to remain in regular contact, they had been slowly drifting apart. Kisho accepted this as part of the course, especially now that four years had passed. He didn’t want to be responsible for dredging up the past, especially when Mamoru wanted to forget it.

Now, as Kisho entered the school, he found that he could almost imagine the aura of a Youma tainting the halls. The energy patterns, even now it would seem, would be forever imprinted in his mind.

Walking quickly, pausing only to shuffle his books and papers about a bit as he struggled to open the classroom doorway, Kisho knew that Fujita-sensei would not be pleased with this tardiness.

Fujita-sensei, the science teacher that Kisho assisted with in lessons, was a small man. In his early thirties, the task of teaching twenty or so rowdy teenagers had taken its toll. His hair was starting to thin and turn grey in places. He had three pairs of prescription glasses, which he used in rotation when writing on the blackboard, demonstrating how to perform simple experiments and then over seeing his lessons. He spoke with a slight stammer, which made him all the more difficult to understand and would not have gained his students respect had Kisho not been present.

Ayame often teased him by saying it was because the majority of the girls in the class had a crush on him and the boys were in awe of his presence and respected him. Kisho brushed this aside, not caring for petty feelings the teenagers may or may not have towards him. All he was interested in was helping them in their education. As long as they paid attention in class he didn’t give a damn as to what was the cause of this sudden interest.

He managed to open the door, expecting Fujita-sensei to greet him at the door before frowning disapprovingly. This was not the case at all.

As Kisho stepped into the room, shock caused him to drop his papers to the floor with a thud that echoed around the room. Fujita-sensei lay on his desk; his reading classes half falling down his face to rest at chin level against the desk. His eyes were tightly closed and his breathing so light that it was barely detectable.

Turning to the rest of class, Kisho’s heart leapt to his throat when he saw that they were in a similar state. Some were slumped out across the desk whilst several had fallen to the floor. All were unconscious.

Forcing himself to react, Kisho went to the nearest pupil and gently touched her arm.

“Morita-san?” he said softly, shaking her a couple of times and gaining no response.

He hadn’t expected one in any case. The aura, still heavy in the air despite the creature long departing the school, was real and not a figment of his imagination as Kisho had hoped.

Although it should be impossible, there was no denying it. This was the work of a Dark Kingdom Youma.

********

Act Fifty-Two Preview:

“Ami?” Rei enquired when she saw the thoughtful look on her friend’s face, “Are you okay?”

“I’m a little worried” Ami admitted quietly.

“Don’t be” Rei smiled, “I’m sure Mamoru will make amends. He and Usagi are made for each other after all.”

“I know” Ami nodded. They were… they had been destined to fall in love from the beginning of time and nothing, especially not a few pre-wedding nerves, could come between them.

“We should be worried about this stag night” Makoto interjected, “Despite what Motoki-kun said.”

~~~~~~

“Will you stop hiding behind the money? Admit it. The real reason is that you’ve changed your mind. You don’t want to marry me, but you’re too scared to tell me.”

“Baka. That’s not it at all.”

Usagi bolted up from the bench, “Then what is it?”

“Yes, things are going a little fast” Mamoru said, somewhat impatiently, “But I’m more concerned about being able to provide for you in the future, the future that we will spend together. A future that you haven’t even considered! All you want is a fairytale wedding, but tell me, Usagi, what happens when the fairytale is over?”

~~~~~~

“Youma” she instructed, as she handed him the silver dagger in her other palm, “Kill the Princess. Kill the Princess and bring me Endymion.”