Earth
Guardian Prince Endymion
By Senshi
of Ruin and Mizu no Senshi
Act Fifty-One Recap:
(Mamoru’s POV)
After four years together, Usagi and I are getting
married. I have to admit I am more than a little apprehensive about the
upcoming wedding in two days time, but I trusted Usagi with the preparations
and that she understood that we couldn’t spend as much as she would perhaps
like.
“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.”
Of course, Motoki had his doubts but was sure that Usagi
would keep this in mind when choosing her 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 spent three times the amount that she should have on a
dress that she would only wear this one time!
“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.”
Still, I had no right to say what I did to her. I’ve
really hurt Usagi’s feelings. I didn’t mean to be so cold towards her, but a
wedding is about more than just one day. What matters is that I am marrying the
woman I love. Surely Usagi can see passed all the preparations and to the true
meaning behind our marriage? If not then I can’t help but wonder if she is
ready for such a commitment.
******
Act Fifty-Two:
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.
After calling an ambulance to the school, Kisho had made
himself scarce. Indeed the headmaster had insisted that, as he had a terrible
shock, he should go home and rest. Of course Kisho had done nothing of the
sort. How could he, knowing what he knew? Fujita-san and the class had refused
to wake. It was just like before yet different at the same time.
As Kisho made his way to Crown, he turned over the
possibility of this simply being the work of a rogue Youma that could have
survived the final battle. It was possible, he mused, but why had it chosen
this long to make itself known? Youma did not simply hide among the shadows
unless instructed by someone.
Kisho had a vague idea of whom that someone could be, but
he was loath to come to any conclusions until he had found the Youma first.
As he entered Crown, with the intention of explaining the
situation to Mamoru, Kisho was met by complete silence.
Motoki was at the counter, toying apprehensively with some
food for Kamekichie. The former Senshi were sitting around the reception.
Mizuno Ami and Kino Makoto was sitting down in plastic chairs, Ami chewing
nervously on her lower lip and Makoto frowning almost angrily at the floor
nearest her feet. Hino Rei and Aino Minako were leaning up against the farthest
wall, torn between appearing as angry as Makoto or simply just upset.
Kisho glanced between them and Motoki, disappointment
filling him when he realised that Mamoru wasn’t present.
“Ah, Kisho-kun” Motoki exclaimed suddenly, as though
noticing him for the first time, “How are you?”
“Fine, thank you” Kisho answered, ignoring the girls and
stepping up to the counter, “What’s happened?”
Motoki sighed and shook his head, “Usagi-chan spent too
much on her wedding dress and she and Mamoru had an argument. She ran out and
he’s gone to try and make amends. It must be a case of pre-wedding nerves,” he
added in as an after thought.
“Of course” Kisho agreed, as he cast another glance at the
girls. He was loath to speak to them about the Youma as they were no longer
Senshi in this world and, in any case, there was still very much an element of
mistrust between them, despite the upcoming wedding.
“I’m glad you have come in,” Motoki continued, obviously
now pleased of the distraction, “I wanted to talk to you about Mamoru’s stag
night.”
At this, the girls instantly looked up and Minako said
sharply, “Remember what we told you? No stupid pranks. Usagi-chan has enough to
worry about without you guys pulling some sort of stunt the night before the
wedding.”
Kisho frowned at her, not appreciating this remark, but
the boldest of them was certainly not intimidated and held his gaze until
Motoki hurriedly reassured her that there would be no silliness of any kind.
“I thought we could go for a few quiet drinks,” he said,
“Just the six of us.”
“Six of you?” Minako questioned.
“That’s right” Motoki confirmed, “Mamoru wanted to keep it
low key, just his close friends.”
Kisho had the feeling that Motoki had completely missed
the point of Minako’s question, but he chose not to comment on this. It was not
his place and, if he were completely honest, he felt it little concern of his
to begin with.
Satisfied, Minako then suggested that they go into one of
the karaoke rooms to discuss Usagi’s hen night. The others seemed in agreement
to this and hurriedly left the reception.
When Motoki heard the door click shut behind them, he
hurried round to Kisho’s side of the counter and said:
“I thought we could all meet at Club Atom in Shibuya to
start with, at around 8.00pm?”
“That’s fine” as Kisho had suspected, Motoki didn’t plan
to take any notice of the girls warning. “I’ll let the others know this.”
“I know Mamoru didn’t want too much fuss but it is his
stag night” Motoki then said, as though to justify this, “And its not as though
we’re going to get completely off our heads. We’re just having a night out. He
won’t get too many of them once he’s married.”
Kisho nodded, but his mind wasn’t really on such a trivial
thing. A part of him knew that he had to tell Mamoru about this new threat as
soon as possible, but another part of him was telling him to wait until after
the wedding. How could he cast a shadow over such a special day? It felt wrong;
especially after all they had been through to get to this point.
Now that it had gathered energy for whatever cause, Kisho
reasoned that it would have enough to last a few days. Long enough for Mamoru to
enjoy his big day uninterrupted, Kisho thought to himself, still undecided but
leaning towards keeping things to himself for a while.
“If he gets married,” Motoki said suddenly,
breaking into Kisho’s thoughts, “Usagi-chan was pretty hurt by his remarks. I’d
be surprised if there is a wedding at all.”
******
“We can still do that.”
“Not when you’ve spent half the deposit on dresses that
will be meaningless after that one day.”
Ami mentally winced as she shut the door to the biggest
karaoke room, and the Shitennou’s former meeting place, behind her as she
recalled Mamoru’s words. The look on Usagi’s face… it had pained her terribly
to see her friend so crushed. Yet a part of her did agree with Mamoru. She knew
how much apartments in Tokyo cost and she and Taro had to budget for a while
before being able to afford one themselves. Still, Mamoru didn’t have to be
that cold to her, Ami reminded herself as she took a seat at the table, one
hand unconsciously touching her lower abdomen as she did so.
It had taken her and her friends a while to adjust to
their new lives and, even now, Ami sometimes had trouble believing that they
were completely free from the Dark Kingdom’s thrall. But free they were and
now, four years later, she had everything that she had always wanted and her
friends were happy, too. This counted for a lot, although it was still a little
strange to converse with the former Shitennou, knowing that they had once been
enemies. This was all in the past, Ami reminded herself, although she could
still detect the slight tension between them and the others. With Taro, of
course, it was different, but the others…
“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.”
Ami frowned, “I have asked Taro to make sure nothing
happens.”
Minako laughed softly at this, as did the other girls, “Taro
and Motoki, in many ways, are very similar which is why they don’t get on. I
wouldn’t rely on either of them to get Mamoru-san home in one piece.”
Ami had thought of this but had hoped that the fact that
it was her who made this request might make more of an impact, but she supposed
not, from the others reactions.
“We can only take their word for it, I suppose” Minako
said, seemingly a little too casual about it now.
“Which reminds me,” Makoto said, “I spoke to Naru earlier
today and she said that we can have Usagi’s hen night at O*SAP.”
The hen night, in comparison to the stag night, would be a
much bigger affair, Ami knew, seeing as all Usagi’s friends from high school
were also attending and they thought it would be better to have a set venue and
get some food brought in.
For a while, the hen night became the topic of
conversation and Ami listened quietly, her mind wandering to other things until
Minako finally announced that she had to go.
“I wanted to go down to the studio this afternoon” she
explained.
“She wants to get a hold of the list of bookings for the
next few weeks” Makoto added to this, rather slyly, which caused Minako to
blush slightly.
“Ah” Rei nodded knowingly, “I see. That is why you went
quiet when Motoki mentioned that there would be six of them at the stag night.”
“I just wanted to see what the studio’s availability was
for next week and I couldn’t care less how many of them will be at the stag
night” Minako defended herself hotly.
“There’s no fooling us” Rei shook her head, “There was no
way that you happening to book the studio for every single day that he was
there was an accident last time he was in the country. Why don’t you just tell
him how you feel? You never know, he might feel the same way.”
‘He’ Ami knew was Komoro Seiichi. Minako had liked him
almost from the day that they had been reborn but circumstances, and Seiichi’s
career, meant that he was out of Tokyo a lot of the time and the girls rarely
saw him. It was now clear that he was coming back from England for the wedding
and Minako was going to use the studio as an excuse to speak with him yet
again.
“He won’t” she answered softly to Rei’s statement, “You
know why… we all do.”
“Things have changed since then” Rei persisted, “Look at
Ami and Taro.”
Minako was also afraid. She was afraid that he still saw
her as Dark Venus and the fact that he barely even noted her existence on the
planet half the time did little to disprove Minako’s theory.
“I have to go” Minako simply repeated and made her leave,
Rei, concerned, quickly followed suit, leaving Ami and Makoto alone.
Shifting her position in the chair a little, Ami felt
Makoto’s gaze on her as she requested to know how she was feeling.
“Fine” Ami said, her voice barely above a whisper, “Thank
you for coming with me yesterday, Mako-chan.”
“That’s alright,” the taller girl answered softly, “But
Taro should have been there really.”
“I know, but--”
“Ami-chan, I know it is none of my business, but you
should tell him. The longer you keep this a secret then the harder it will
get.”
“I know” Ami said again, somewhat miserably, “But I don’t
know what he’ll say. What if he’s angry?”
“Ami, you should know him well enough by now!”
She nodded and bit her lip, “And I will tell him… I will… but
not before the wedding.”
Makoto smiled and squeezed her hand reassuringly,
seemingly content with that. Ami, however, felt anything but reassured. She did
want to tell him, but… she shook her head slightly. She was afraid… despite all
that they had been through together. She couldn’t bear it if anything came
between them again.
******
“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!”
Mamoru easily caught up with Usagi inside Ueno Park; a
favourite place of hers to come when she was feeling down, which surprised him
really seeing all the history of that park.
Still, there she was, slumped down on a bench, silently
watching the few hopeful pigeons that had gathered at her feet, thinking that
she had brought some food for them. The birds, however, took flight when Mamoru
sat down beside her, leaving them both alone.
Usagi jutted her lower lip out in defiance and turned
away, but not before Mamoru saw the tears building up in her eyes. Seeing this
made him feel ten times worse, if this wasn’t already impossible. He admitted
he had reacted badly and now felt terrible that he didn’t want to contribute
more, but the money was still an issue… and the even bigger issue was, was
Usagi ready for the commitment after all?
Neither spoke, and Mamoru was forced to break this silence
in the end by starting with, “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.”
Usagi didn’t react to this, only moving away from him
slightly when Mamoru went to place a hand on her shoulder.
“Usagi, what we discussed… I only wanted the best for you
in the long term. That was why the money was such an issue.”
“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?”
Usagi bit her lip and looked away, her body trembling ever
so slightly, “So you think I’m the one who isn’t ready. You think that I’m in
love with the idea of getting married and not looking forward to the days
after?”
“I didn’t say that” Mamoru snapped, irritably, “You’re
twisting my words.”
“I look forward to all the days afterwards” Usagi
whispered as she turned back to face him once more, “I look forward to being
with you for the rest of my life. I look forward to the family we will have. I
look forward to having our own house and children, but you’re wrong. The wedding
day isn’t meaningless. If anything it is the most important day of all. The day
that you make your vows sets the course for the rest of your life. It will be
the day that will keep us going when things get tough, the day that keeps us
together for that future that you think I care so little for.”
For a moment Mamoru couldn’t speak, stunned by this
admission. He had never thought that Usagi… perhaps he didn’t know her as well
as he claimed after all? Her words went deep inside him, deeper than he would care
to admit and Mamoru’s pain doubled in an instant. He had been wrong. Usagi was
ready for such a commitment. She was far more prepared for it than he was and
he had been wrong. Their married life started on their wedding day.
“I’m sorry” he whispered, standing up to draw her into an
embrace, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too” Usagi nodded, tilting her head back to
look him in the eyes, “If you think the dresses are too much then we can--”
Mamoru silenced her by placing a finger to her lips, “No.
If that is what makes you happy, then that is all that matters.”
Usagi brushed his hand away and shook her head, “No. Our
happiness is what matters. I want us to make decisions regarding the wedding
together. That’s all I wanted.”
“Then we will” Mamoru answered her, “We’ll plan the rest
of this wedding together.”
******
The energy… it had given her strength enough to leave the
Dark Kingdom once more. Her return to the Earth after such an absence should
have been marked in her own disillusioned glory, but instead it was marred by
the scene before her.
“I look forward to being with you for the rest of my life.
I look forward to the family we will have. I look forward to having our own
house and children, but you’re wrong. The wedding day isn’t meaningless. If
anything it is the most important day of all. The day that you make your vows
sets the course for the rest of your life. It will be the day that will keep us
going when things get tough, the day that keeps us together for that future
that you think I care so little for.”
Her fists clenched at her sides at her rival’s words.
“Usagi-chan… unforgivable”
Her rival had grown, both in spirit and in maturity. She
was no longer the scared little girl that Kuroki Mio had known of before. She
was truly worthy of being her enemy now. Her enemy and rival.
Now, locked in a lover’s embrace, her hatred and
resentment deepened.
“No. Our happiness is what matters. I want us to make
decisions regarding the wedding together. That’s all I wanted.”
“Your happiness” Mio whispered, her nails digging into the
palms of her hands as she spoke, “Your happiness will be shattered before your
very eyes. Your wedding day will be over before it has even begun, this I
promise you. It shall not be as it was last time.”
******
Club Atom, the biggest nightclub in Shibuya, was already
bustling with activity when Mamoru and Motoki stepped through its doors.
Speaking with the doormen for a brief moment, Motoki then led him to a table
near the bar but away from the stage where a rock band was performing, so that
they could hear each other, or so he explained over the dull roar from the many
fans that had turned out for such an event.
“Hey, Mamoru!” Taro called out when he saw them, “How does
it feel to know that this is your last night of freedom? From tomorrow onwards
it’ll be nothing but staying in every night and being nagged non-stop. You’ll
find work a relief.”
“And you would know” Masaki said quietly, smirking when
Taro turned around in his seat and punched the younger man jokingly in the arm
and added hurriedly, “Of course Ami is nothing like that.”
Mamoru sighed and sat down next to Kisho as the two of
them continued to debate what it meant to be getting married and Taro declaring
loudly that he and Ami were fine as they were, Masaki riling him again by
saying that this was Taro’s way of saying that he wasn’t man enough to put a
ring on Ami’s finger.
“They’ve already had a drink or two” Kisho explained, as
he took a sip of his own beer, “They’ll only get worse as the evening
progresses.”
Mamoru shook his head and took a long drink from the glass
set before him.
“Steady on” Motoki warned, “Remember what Minako-chan
said?”
“What did Minako say?”
Mamoru looked up as the last member of their group sat
down between Masaki and Motoki, obviously wanting to keep his admittance to the
club as low key as possible.
“Seiichi!” Motoki exclaimed loudly, causing the star to
wince slightly but thankfully the music drowned out even Motoki’s voice as he
added, upon realising Seiichi’s wish to keep out of sight of any possible
fangirls, “I didn’t think you were going to be able to make it?”
“Nor did I” Seiichi admitted, “The plane was delayed” he
added for the others’ benefit, “I’ve just come from the airport.”
“They dared to delay a plane that you were on?”
Taro asked with mock disbelief. Taro often liked to tease Seiichi about his
fame and made off-hand and sometimes sarcastic remarks to the pianist. In the beginning,
Mamoru wasn’t sure how well his quieter friend would take to this, but he
either gave as good as he got or ignored them, accepting that this was a part
of their friendship. In this case, he did the latter and apologised to Mamoru
for his lateness.
“Don’t think anything of it” Mamoru assured him, “We’ve
only just got here ourselves. The traffic in Shibuya is really bad tonight.”
“That’s why I walked,” Masaki said to this, as he finished
his drink, “It was quicker.”
“We got a taxi” Motoki said, “But we’ll probably walk
back, right Mamoru?”
Mamoru shrugged and set his own glass back down, “Depends
what state we’re in by the time we get outside.”
“Now remember” Taro grinned, “We’re under oath.”
“Oath?” Seiichi asked, a little suspiciously.
“I’ll let Motoki explain” Masaki said as he stood up, “Who
wants another drink?”
It turned out that everyone did, and Kisho went with him
to lend a hand whilst Motoki explained how Minako-tachi had ordered them not to
over celebrate and keep drinking to a minimum.
Mamoru laughed nervously at this and stated that he was
still nervous enough, especially after his argument with Usagi the day before,
without getting involved in any pranks the night before his wedding.
“We should all listen to Minako” Taro agreed, seemingly
seriously, “We don’t want to ruin Seiichi’s chances with her tomorrow, do we?”
The star nearly choked on the remainder of his drink at
Taro’s words and, had it been light enough, Mamoru would have wagered that he
had turned a deep shade of crimson at the mention of the female idol.
“You have been pining after her for more than a year now”
Taro pointed out, “So the wedding is the perfect opportunity for you.”
“I haven’t been pining” Seiichi murmured, turning back to
Mamoru, obviously wanting a change of topic.
Luckily Masaki and Kisho chose that minute to come back
with the drinks, thus saving Seiichi any potential embarrassment and Motoki
hurriedly changed the subject back to Mamoru’s apprehension of tomorrow.
“I can understand that” Kisho nodded, “It is a big
commitment,”
“Even after talking things through with Usagi, it doesn’t
mean that I don’t feel a little nervous,” Mamoru admitted and this was true.
Although he felt happier about the wedding itself, it didn’t stop him from
having a sleepless night about it.
Taro handed him another drink, “If you get nervous in the
church, just picture everyone in their underwear.”
“Isn’t that for speeches?” Kisho asked.
None of them were sure and thus the next five minutes
turned into a debate over the subject.
Mamoru laughed and simply listened to them all arguing
their idea of getting him less nervous. It had been a long time since they had
all met up like this and it would probably be even longer before they did so
again. He, again, finished his drink whilst wondering how many he had actually
had. With the noise of the club, his tension and the many empty glasses on the
table, Mamoru had found it difficult to keep track of. He estimated that this one
was his third, but it could have been more.
“No, no!” Motoki shouted above the others and, for some
reason, gaining Mamoru’s attention again. “What he needs to do is have a small
shot of vodka before going into the church.”
Mamoru’s gaze then followed his friend’s to the bottle of
the aforementioned alcohol sitting in the middle of the table with six glasses.
“How did that get there?” he wondered. No one replied as
Taro leaned forward to pour himself a shot. Kisho followed suit and
subsequently challenged the other man to see who could down theirs the
quickest.
Taro, never being one to shy away from such a challenge,
immediately accepted. Ten seconds later, Kisho slammed his glass down on the
table a few seconds ahead of him.
“I win” he smirked.
“I wasn’t ready” Taro protested, also never being one to
admit defeat, “I demand a rematch!”
Seconds later, Kisho again was victorious. Taro pouted and
then refilled his glass and a second one before handing the latter to Seiichi.
The pianist hesitated slightly, as though recalling Minako’s words, but Taro
then enquired to know if ‘stars could handle their drink or not’ thus annoying
him enough to take him up on the challenge.
Satisfied at this victory, Taro then refilled his glass
and the others. Before long, Mamoru found himself also drawn into this game. It
was strange how little the increasing levels of alcohol appeared to affect him.
Steadily losing count, Mamoru gave up keeping track of the drinks and decided
to focus instead on enjoying the evening.
******
The church… Mio shuddered as she entered such a holy
place. Even for her, the presence in the house of God could not be denied. She
shivered, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as the stone felt cold against
the palm of her hand.
Never before had such purity effected her…
The energy long gone, all absorbed into the stone, Mio
knew that she had only a limited amount of time before she was forced to return
to the Dark Kingdom once more. Yet to find a suitable dwelling here on Earth
where she could remain undisturbed, it was the only option open to her.
Especially when her energy levels dipped so dangerously. To risk discovery too
soon would not be a good thing.
Shutting the door behind her with a gentle click caused
the vicar to turn around. A man in his late fifties, he smiled invitingly at
her as he came slowly over to her, perhaps sensing the many different emotions
that tore apart her soul.
Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, he enquired to know
what was troubling her.
“Destiny” Mio answered simply.
“Destiny? Yours?”
“No… the destiny of my enemy.”
He didn’t understand her and Mio did not expect him to.
She had no wish to seek the solace of such a man, especially now. The desire
for revenge burned too bright. It was what had kept her going when she had, had
nothing else.
Reacting quickly, Mio thrust out her hand, pressing her
palm to the stunned man’s chest. He uttered a strangled cry and stumbled
backwards, sprawling into the aisle as he clawed desperately at the stone that
slowly embedded itself into his flesh.
All the while, Mio watched in silence. She observed his
tears with scorn, mocked his prayers as his body shuddered, once and then was
still.
After another couple of minutes, the vicar opened his
eyes, and then got slowly to his feet, his gaze darting around questioningly
before recognising his Queen.
Bowing deeply, the man awaited instructions. Instructions
that Mio was only too happy to give him.
“Youma” she instructed, as she handed him the silver
dagger in her other palm, “Kill the Princess. Kill the Princess and bring me
Endymion.”
******
Masaki woke slowly the next morning, grimacing slightly at
the dull pounding in his head that came with this transition back into consciousness.
He was lying on his back, a most disliked sleeping position at the best of
times, and could feel something poking painfully into his lower spine and,
without opening his eyes, he felt around under him and took hold of the
offending object; a television remote, and tossed it to one side. This movement
caused his feeling of nausea to increase and he forced open his eyes now,
blinking at the sunlight that was streaming in through the window.
Looking around the room, Masaki could see Motoki asleep on
the sofa, still in his clothes of the night before. Seiichi sat in the chair
nearest Masaki’s head, leaning back slightly with his eyes semi-closed as he,
too, felt the consequences of the night before.
Forcing himself to move, Masaki sat up; his back cracking
painfully at this and his movement caused Seiichi to fully open his eyes before
tossing him a packet of aspirin.
Thanking him, Masaki took two, without water, and then
stood up, the world spinning slightly as he staggered over to the window and
looked out as he asked:
“Where are we?”
“Motoki’s house” Seiichi replied, the tone of his voice
indicating that he was suffering just as much as Masaki was.
The latter smirked slightly at this and enquired to know
where Taro and Kisho were.
“Taro’s in the bathroom” was the reply and, when Masaki
concentrated hard enough, he could hear the muffled sounds of his friend’s
suffering. “Kisho’s gone to call Ayame.”
Masaki smiled, thinking how kind it was that Kisho would
think of Ayame first. Turning his attention back to the window, he opened it
fully appreciating the rush of fresh air and leaned out slightly, closing his
eyes once more.
“How many did I have?” Masaki asked, as he struggled to
recall the night before.
“I don’t know. I don’t even know how many I had” Seiichi
answered him, “Enough to regret it though. I think--- Shimatta!”
Masaki turned around, “What?”
“It’s 11.00am”
The wedding was at 12.00pm.
“Mamoru?” Masaki started, but then paused, glancing around
the front room. Motoki was just waking up, complaining as he did so about the
noise until Masaki snapped at him to be quiet.
“Mamoru?” he called again, but he received no reply.
“Seiichi? Was Mamoru here when you woke up?”
Seiichi shook his head, hurriedly going from room to room,
calling for their friend. During this time both Taro and Kisho came back into
the front room and Masaki explained the situation.
“He’s not here,” Seiichi confirmed as he hurried back into
the front room.
“Then where the hell is he?” Taro demanded.
Masaki shook his head. The wedding was in less than an
hour and Mamoru had disappeared.
******
Act Fifty-Three Preview:
“Seiichi, its Mamoru. I need your help.”
Mamoru didn’t even give him a chance to answer properly
and the tone of his voice gave Seiichi even more cause for concern.
“What is it? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine” then he hesitated slightly and Seiichi had to
prompt him to continue.
“What is it?”
“I’m… I’m at the police station.”
~~~~~~~
“Usagi. I would never hurt you, you know that!”
“But you did!” she sprang up from her chair and made to
leave, until Mamoru also leapt up and grabbed her arm:
“Don’t you even want to know why I did it?”
“Because you don’t want to marry me. You were too
frightened to tell me the truth so you just left me there.”
“Baka. Then why did I bother showing up at the church at
all?”
~~~~~~
“You may as well admit it” Mamoru snarled as he shoved
open the car door, “You never wanted me to marry her anyway.”
~~~~~~
Usagi had no time to cry out as the Youma struck. Lunging
out of the darkness, it grabbed the shocked Princess around the throat,
slamming her back into the front door and pinning her there helplessly, her
henshin locket breaking off its chain and clattering loudly onto the ground.
It held her tightly yet not so much that she couldn’t
breathe. Taking her time, Mio watched the scene for a few minutes, revelling in
the fact that, at last, her rival was at her mercy. She had waited so long for
this. One of the only things that had kept her going…
Then, slowly, Mio let herself be known to the Princess.
Usagi’s eyes widened as she gasped out: “Mio-chan?”