Divinity: Aetherlight

The rustling sound of thick bristles on the stone floor was the only thing that blew along with the morning's cold breeze.

Another day has come.

The sun had come up and shown itself from time to time from behind thick raining clouds and after everything that has happened, between drastic weather changes, wins and losses and apocalyptic battles, a day painted in scales of gray, despite its gloom, this was a slow but good start.

It was quiet, with the exception of the birds chirping as they flew in and out of the thick foliage of the trees, it was a calm morning; it was almost impossible to believe all this could be at risk to come to an end.

Rei stood in the middle of the garden looking up at the sky; if she didn't know anything, she would be guessing the odd and unexpected changes in the midst of summer. But now, knowing far more than anyone else did, and with so many experiences remembered and lived, Hino Rei wondered far beyond than just the odd changes of weather.

Right after Motoki found them, systems and signals slowly regained stability and went back to normality, giving them the chance to flee the scene before they were caught up by the media and many curious spectators that were eager to find the soldiers that fought for their sake. Beaten and exhausted, they were immediately taken to the hospital to treat their wounds in complete anonymity, especially for Endymion whom thanks to Sailor Moon, she was able to put his aura in a dormant state to get him changed from his torn and bloodied clothes and treat his open wounds like any other civilian that was caught in the storm. But unlike the rest, who had healed almost fully thanks to the healing power of the silver crystal, he needed more to recover. Now, a week after the events, Mamoru was still hospitalized and unconscious.

Sailor Moon had used the silver crystal again to revert as much damage with infrastructure and the ambiance as possible, and while it was possible to fix and clean most of the mess that was made and left behind, it was impossible to wipe out the events from the mind of every single living soul on Earth. Also, the giant monolith in the ocean that gleamed like a crystal with the bright light of the sun during the day and the moon during the night was a powerful reminder of their battle and victory, and also, the solid proof of the existence of other realms and deities that cleared Casanova Akira's name now that her father's work was as veridic as the day changed to night and night to day.

It still caught Rei deep in thought, how things took so many sudden twists and turns. It was still painful to live in a world where sacrifices had to be made; where people that had earned a special place in their hearts were no longer part of this tomorrow like Megumi, who had fought with them until the very end. And like Saturn, who's return was still uncertain despite Hades' confirmation of her rebirth. But oddly, now with a clearer mind, she could see where for the sake of teaching them all a valuable lesson. A lesson to never take anything for granted. A lesson to never forget, and never give up.

Luna and Artemis had returned with Pluto's help and went back to their feline form, another proof that things were slowly reverting back to normal. Both advisors were immediately caught up with the events since their departure to the Moon up to the second of their return and have stayed at the shrine with her to hear news about Usagi, who had taken slower steps to assimilate all that has happened, but with the help of her family, thankfully, she hasn't been alone.

Ever since they knew their location, Ikuko, Kenji, and her brother Shingo have not left their side and have taken turns on going to the hospital every day to check up on hers and Mamoru's recovery like the tight family the Tsukinos are well known to be.

Family.

The word settled better in her heart now for Rei, no longer feeling like an abandoned child. As she looked up, her lips curved into a soft smile while thinking in her father's promise to fight for an Olympus worthy of her and if he had delivered her message to her beloved grandfather. A week has gone without knowing nothing about him, and while it felt like an eternity, she had the certainty that she would see him again, one day.

"Rei-chan, there you are!"

The sudden call startled the priestess, interrupting her moment of deep thought. She turned to find Jun, her grandfather's friend and neighbor standing on the porch cleaning her flour-covered hands with a damp cloth. Her cheeks flushed from her chores in the kitchen, as she had gladly returned to work at the shrine as well "I was looking all over for you," she smiled, "I was beginning to wonder if you had told me you were going out,"

Rei smiled and shook her head "I was just doing some little maintenance to the garden," she turned to glance around "But I guess someone beat me up by doing it first,"

Jun chuckled, "I am afraid so, Saito-san has very helpful ever since the shrine opened its doors to the public again." She cleared her throat, trying to get more information from what the priestess had been given ever since her return, only to find that she was accompanied by the same blonde man that helped her when at the time of her grandfather's passing. Her smile gave it all away, urging Rei to confess her not so secret romance anymore, "Yes," she said simply and to the point but her smile said it loud and clear.

"Oh!" Jun's smile grew and clapped her hands with excitement but before she could dig further into the matter, both ladies were interrupted by a warmer voice.

"Rei,"

Both Jun and Rei turned to Jadeite who was coming at them dressed appropriately for his shrine duties with a white kimono paired with a dark gray hakama; his blonde hair as messy as ever in its rebellious waves falling over his gray-blue eyes. His boyish face lightened up with a smile as warm as his greeting "Everyone's here, we got a call from the hospital,"

Rei's amethyst eyes widened and slowly nodded, her heart was fluttering in her chest; even when she was expectant of good news, it was the person standing before her what was keeping her with her head in the clouds and her mind in very good spirits. The simplicity of his call and the way he said her name was still fresh for her to get used to the sudden change, but there was no denying how damn good it felt. No more secrets, no more pain.

"I-I'll be right there,"

Jadeite's gentle smile never faded as he turned on his heel and went back into the house, leaving a very surprised Jun now that she heard him calling her without any honorifics, making the confession of their relationship, even more official.

"If your grandfather was here with us, I am sure he would be thrilled to know you're with someone that makes you happy."

Rei's cheeks turned red, "I'm sure he knows, Jun," she tilted her head with a sweet smile brightening her face "From where he is, I know my message has been delivered,"

Jun blinked, curious "Delivered? By whom?"

Rei let out a soft sigh, her lips never breaking her blissful smile "By one very strong birdie."

O—o—o—o—O

"What are your thoughts?"

"While there is still some inflammation there was no necessity to induce a coma."

"Even if it's been days since he was admitted?"

"Levels are stable. There is no damage in the tissue of any organs despite the deep wounds he got. There is no change in his blood pressure or glucose, we just need to keep administrating nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and keep him hydrated. I am more surprised he could move around without having them treated for as long as he did, but it seems he is out of the woods."

Motoki's green eyes narrowed as he studied the results of a tomography and MRI scans in the large screen in front of him; his brows furrowed deeper in thought as he continued listening to the neurologist's diagnose.

"I couldn't help to notice some clear signs that suggest Chiba-sensei has had previous injuries." The neurologist turned to Motoki. He appeared a few years older than Motoki but was still much younger than many other specialists in the neurology department at the hospital and he was usually the blonde's first option when recommending a neurologist to patients when he or even Mamoru have found it necessary.

Motoki nodded "Yes, he..." his words dragged a little, finding it bitter to bring this up "He was involved in an accident when he was a kid that caused him severe amnesia among other repercussions."

The dark-haired man pulled out a file, "So I read in his medical history." With the large file in his hand, Motoki stared at the man partly shocked "Turns out, Chiba-sensei was treated in this same hospital twenty-one years ago."

"Ah... of course he was..." Motoki shook his head, a small smirk came to view "You truly are an amusement to fate,"

"Pardon me?"

"No, no... don't mind me, Takahashi-sensei." The blonde cleared the light chuckle, "I was just talking to myself."

The neurologist turned to give the scans another glance and let out a soft breath "It is a miracle he survived, both times."

Motoki sighed, a little more somber "Indeed."

"Well to add more to the unexpected, some of the staff that treated him back then, still work here to this day. Funny how they may haven't realized it." Takahashi let out a light chuckle to lift the gloomy mood "Talking about coincidences."

Motoki turned with shock "You're kidding..."

Takahashi smiled at Motoki as he handed him the file and gave the young doctor a small pat on his shoulder "He'll be fine, Sensei. He is responding to stimulation; recovery for these types of injuries usually come slowly. I will not deny the gravity of his wounds. It is truly a miracle he has survived the collapse of such a big building... I heard he was out there helping people and saving lives."

"Yes..." Motoki sighed "He's a damn hero."

"So did you."

"He risked much more than just his health, Takahashi-sensei."

"Well then, we should let him rest for a while. I think it's safe for him to be moved out of ICU to the floor below for recovery. We can still keep him under observation there but it will be less constricting," Takahashi put his pen back in his coat's front pocket "Also, I've heard he's been visited constantly by many to check up on him,"

"Yes, he has quite a big family." Motoki smiled "His wife was also admitted and she is being treated. I'm making sure she is as comfortable as possible, though, I know hospitals are far from being comfortable and that having a loved one under such conditions is mortifying."

"She woke up recently, didn't she?"

"Yes, she had her own share of wounds and has extreme exhaustion piled up, but she is stabilized and out of danger." Motoki sighed lightly, "Now the wounds left to heal are those no one can's actually see."

The doctor noticed Motoki's somber tone in his voice; his handsome face showing signs of gloominess leading to believe there was more to what his friends went through.

"She is still with medication and fluids to treat the anemia found in her blood tests results," Motoki cut through doctor's thoughts, killing the sudden silence in the room "I am making sure she is well observed and taken care of until she can visit her husband."

"You are very close friends, am I right?"

"Yes..." Motoki sighed with a nod, "They're more than close friends. They're family. This is the least I can do for all they had gone through and for all they have done for me..."

There was that somber tone again, the doctor noticed. But he understood it was best to leave it to Motoki "I gave Mizuno-sensei a general prognostic, but now that I am seeing his progress, it's safe to say Chiba-sensei will wake up in due time as well. I am sure you would like to give his wife the uplifting news,"

"I sure do, thank you for everything, Takahashi-sensei,"

"I'll give Chiba-sensei another round once I'm informed he has been transferred to his new room for recovery."

Motoki smiled as he watched his colleague leave the room. He looked down at the thick file in his hands and let curiosity strike; his fingers tingling with the urge to flip through the pages and find out who Takahashi was talking about with that light tone in his voice as if he knew.

His green eyes moved across the words and long medical terms of his friend's previous condition when his gaze finally landed on the medical team that had taken his case. The tension in his lips broke in a matter of seconds and couldn't help to laugh to himself as it said the name in bold letters screamed the casualty.

"Talking about coincidences... Oh man, you truly are an amusement to fate, Chiba Mamoru."

O—o—O

Gentle whispers and slow beeping sounds brought her back from her slumber in a delicate flutter of her long lashes, allowing her pale blue eyes to adjust to the warm light in her room.

She was alone, her parents probably had gone home to take a shower and change their clothes. How long it has been, Usagi wasn't sure, but it felt like it had been a very long time. Ever since she opened her eyes for the first time, everything she heard from the nurses, Motoki, her parents, and friends, everything sounded too surreal. It felt like a dream, hazy from all the medications she had been given and the in and out episodes of drowsiness kept her suspended in time, it was, until, she realized she was alone in a bed that wasn't her own, in a place that wasn't her home.

Her first words were her husband's name. Every single time she wakes up, it's him who she calls. Motoki has been a witness of it from the moment he took her to the hospital and got her admitted.

As she slowly regained consciousness and grounded reality, Usagi finally gave herself the opportunity to think about all the things that happened in the last couple of months. This has been the most she's cried and felt pain. The most she has felt close to dying and feeling completely empty. The first time she felt true fear.

She got married and almost in an instant, that joy was taken away with tragedy after tragedy. The bittersweet feeling of starting a new life and facing death all at the same time. The heavy duty of carrying the destiny of mankind and risking her own, to fight.

Her brows slightly furrowed in thought. The last thing she could remember was the moment she held Motoki's phone after he went to help them get out of ground zero and called her parents. The second her hands left Endymion's and heard her brother's voice; she lost all consciousness.

"M-Mamo-chan..." Her dry lips finally mumbled. Again, his name the first breath coming out of her lungs. She slowly turned her head and saw she was no longer connected to an IV, as Motoki had promised, she was slowly regaining her strength but she did not longer want to wait. In the many times she pretended to be asleep for every visit and checkup from the medical staff, she heard the news that her husband had been moved out of ICU and that he in her same floor in a room close by.

Strategy and need had made of Usagi a master of stealth as she slowly got up from her bed, knowing this was the best time for her to go out after she made sure no one was going in to check on her at least for another hour.

Opening her door very carefully so no squeaks could alert anyone, she glanced in both directions to make sure the aisle was completely deserted and made her way to the room where she heard her beloved was recovering. Her hand gently turning the knob to push the heavy door in the same way she opened hers when she got out; she was welcomed by a dim light from the small lamp at the wooden table next to the window, bringing instant relief to see the room was alone. Her head turned, her icy-blues finally landing on Mamoru sound asleep on the bed.

The light beeping sounds of the equipment glued to his chest to monitor his vitals kept Usagi in a light haze. Half-asleep and half-awake, she wished she didn't have to leave her husband's side ever since they were admitted to the hospital.

With bruises and cuts earned on her own, her wounds didn't look as serious as Mamoru's and she could tell the crystal had to do with her protection and also because Motoki intervened in treating her so she could recover faster and without a problem. But now that she was mostly healed, and on her feet, Usagi found herself in a desperate need for her husband to wake up.

"Mamo-chan..." After who knows how long, she wasn't even sure. Her fingers finally reached out, gently tracing the line of his jaw and combed his long fringe aside, "My Love, can you hear me?"

The aftermath of what he went through remained. His forehead was wrapped with bandages and his long hair had been tied in a low ponytail and tucked under mostly to disguise the obvious oddity of its length and keep any questions out of their way as he healed. He was still bruised and had his right arm bandaged all the way to his shoulder, but despite the rough look, stubble and all, he looked peaceful.

Motoki had gone above and beyond for them. The girls had been going to the hospital every day to check on them and make sure Usagi had her meals accordingly and bring her clean clothes from her parent's house for when she can be discharged and leave the hospital. Since Mamoru was first taken to the Intensive Care Unit, visitations were strictly forbidden, stretching time to incredible lengths to when she could see him again.

Usagi found a rhythm in the beeps and bleeps from every machine monitoring her husband's vitals, his heartbeat creating a different tune in her head to keep her distracted but exhaustion and her medicines were claiming her sleep again. She weakly pulled a chair close to his bed and leaned her head on his arm; her hand gently holding his and let herself being drift away in slumber.

"Mamo-chan..." She whispered as she slowly fell under the effects of drowsiness "Can you hear..."

-O-

"... My heartbeat calling yours?"

The constant sound of droplets falling, making a soft echo and slowly giving a sense of reality as they splashed into a puddle.

Drop.

Drop.

Drop.

There was more to this. More muffled words and more echoes as if there were more pieces to put together; more things to understand and figure out. More life to live.

Drop.

Drop.

Drop.

"Pain. There is pain. Numb, I feel numb."

Drop.

"I want to breathe but I feel no air..."

Drop.

"I want to open my eyes, but I see no light. This is familiar. Ah, I've been here before..."

Drop.

"For years, I've searched answers to questions I did not even know I had. I had been angry for years for having to face the world alone. As a kid, you don't understand why things spin out of one's control, and the easiest way to make it work is by balancing fear and counteracting loneliness with anger. I had been angry for years because I was forced to live with a label engraved that said I was a son of no one, that I belonged nowhere... that there was nothing left for me to lose. I was at the very bottom of everything. I had no place to return to, and no direction I could take forward. I was mocked for it. I was stuck... I was lost, and that made me very angry."

A light flush of warmth slowly reached out, like a heartbeat slowly ripping layers of subconsciousness, slowly drifting the haze away, softly calling for him.

"But now..."

In the middle of the endless count of water drips and constant muffled weeps and sounds, a spark of light, gentle and calm appeared taking the delicate shape of a magical girl with silvery hair as it was made out of pure moonbeam and stardust as it graciously fell down her back like a soft gleaming mantle.

"Even as I walk without a specific direction, the sound of bare feet on grass was the only thing that made it certain that I was going somewhere only we could meet, somewhere I knew you would be waiting. A place only you and I know of."

Drop.

Drop.

Drop.

"Now..."

Mamoru felt warmth and life flow back into his body again and slowly opened his eyes. Despite being covered by bandages, he could see her light. His heart answered to the beating of her heart and his hand gathered the strength it needed to hold on to Usagi's, instantly waking her up.

She looked up; her eyes filled with tears. In seconds, ripping the remains of solitude in her hear as she leaned forward to press her lips with his with the sweetest of smiles, welcoming him back. Grounding his presence in the world, making him feel alive now more than ever.

"Serenity... Usagi... My girl of the hair of moonbeam. My living dream. You are the most beautiful and brightest woman I've ever seen. You take me wherever you are, that is the meaning of my solemn vow to you. I'm exactly where I want to be and whatever comes next; whatever challenge that may come to us, let it come as it may; I am no longer afraid, I am no longer alone. Together, we can do this. Together we can thrive, we can live this future... my life with you. Yours... I am..."

"...Forever yours..."

The sound of his voice, made Usagi jump to the bed and lay next to him, crying tears of immense joy. He didn't waste another second of this bliss. Holding held her tight in his arms, careless of the catheter and the machines. Careless of anyone that could walk in on them; his hand gently cupped her flushed cheeks, their lips quickly finding each other again; locking in passion as they whispered their names with love every time they gasped for air.

The ever after of their ancient long promise finally fulfilled, and open to continue alive in the next chapter of their lives. One long sigh finally escaped from his lungs, releasing all the emotion of being far away from her.

"I'm home."

O—o—O

The Divinity Series is rated M and it a long story. You will find a lot happening.

I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.