Hidden Secret Chapter Nine by: Lazuli Usagi was terrified. She was the real Usagi.. but she wasn't... she couldn't explain that to that woman, though! She shook her head, trying to convince them. "I swear to you that I am not Usagi Demeter. Please, believe me. I am so scared to be by myself..." She was shaking... she was ashamed that she should show such weakness, but she knew that she couldn't act tough... that she had to act the part of a weak lady... The Headmistress seemed unmoved by her tears, but she smiled. "You will still suffer in the orphanage. You will be taken care of.. I simply can not let you stay here.. it would be unseemly.. and you haven't the means to support yourself here. I do not know *how* you came to wearing one of our school uniforms...." Her voice trailed off, and it demanded an explanation. Usagi could only close her eyes and wish with all her heart that she would be taken back to the safest place for her. She didn't feel any change in atmosphere, and opened her eyes, ready to be hung or taken away to a prison. She saw no such fate awatiing her, for she met blue eyes... the blue eyes of Mamoru.... She didn't faint again... she met the eyes squarely on, and he helped her to her feet. She looked around, and found that she had been sitting on a log in the forest, near the ruins. She was back in her own time, or very close to it. "Mamoru?" Usagi asked quietly. She knew that he was having some problems with his identity... coming to terms with everything, so she wasn't sure how he would respond. "Yes, Usagi. It's Mamoru. You can see me now?" Usagi realized with a jolt that this wasn't the Mamoru she grew up with, but the Mamoru she had been in love with! The one that wrapped his etheral arms around her, the one that comforted her... now he was visible...! Usagi reached out shakily to trace his cheek, and felt warm skin under her hand... soft lips under her fingers.... she looked up at him, and slowly memories began to piece themselves together about him... images and feelings and thoughts raced through her mind, transmitting themselves to her... to her muddled brain and heart... memories of the short time that they had spent together while she had been alive... then all the time they had when she had joined him in death. Her eyes filled with tears at what they had both lost... she wished that there was a way for them to be together like that again... but here they were... again, stuck in the same rut they were before. Usagi would give up her life again to be with him once more, but she felt that there had to be one more piece of the puzzle that she was missing... one more participant that was part of this game... that had brought them together in the first place. Mamoru shook his head. He didn't want her to worry about what they couldn't have... Unmei would find her in time, seek her out.. tell her a way that they could be together. For now... he wanted as few words between them as possible. He wanted to hold her tight aganist him... on this spiritual plane of life, and kiss her until she could last here no longer... he had to stay here... and she would have to go, as it had always been before. He knew now that she could never stay with him while she was alive... and he knew also that death could not hold this angel... this lover of life for long.... the only bond that held her to him was love... and he hoped that one day her love was strong enough to sever the ties of life forever. He knew it was selfish... but he never wanted her away from him again. He bent down slowly, and she saw the intention in his eyes, and nodded. She wanted this closeness as well, and forgoed any questions that were lingering in the back of her mind. The only thing she wanted, no needed now was the kiss..... This time... she wasn't dragged back... she rememberd all too clearly now, getting pulled away just when they were getting close. As if to get to close to death would cut her hold on life. This time... their lips touched, and Usagi fell into the kiss.. into the joining of her soul with Mamoru's... and for the first time in almost two decades, she felt as if she was a whole person once more. It was a sensation that she opened her arms to... Mamoru's lips claimed hers gently, but they grew more demanding as the kiss went on. He gently nudged her lips open, and she was awakened to a whole new sensation. She never felt this before in this lifetime, and she now knew why she never attempted. She would have never felt this way with anyone else... it would have felt wrong with anyone else. Mamoru's lips moved away from her lips to kiss her cheeks and her forehead, trailing down again to kiss her jawline and then nuzzle her neck. By the time that they finally pulled apart from eachother, they were breathing hard, and their eyes dark with the love they had for eachother. She kept a tight grip on his hands, if that one link was what would keep them together forever. She didn't know what was going on... if she was dreaming or not... she just knew that she wished for the safest possible place, and it brought her to him. Now if only they could stay here forever. Mamoru smiled at her, as if he read her thoughts. "We can not stay like this now, Usagi... but soon... soon I promise you..." Usagi nodded. As they had kissed, more memories had filtered through, and she remembered Unmei... the small girl that she had tried to protect, who had turned out to be a totally different person. And she knew that Unemi was the one who could fix this mess. But she did not want to think on that now. She just wanted to be in her Mamoru's arms... to savor the moment that she had with him, and carry it with her when she was taken back to life. She leaned up aganist him again, and their lips met once more, the passion increasing in them as the time wore on. Usagi never knew such love and tenderness, but she held on to all that she was given. Soon though, she felt a tugging again, almost a gentle pull towards life, and she smiled at Mamoru, her fingers brushing aganist his lips one more time before he faded from her sight, and she was alone in the forest. Usagi brushed away her lingering tears, knowing that Mamoru was still with her, he just wasn't visible to her. She would put on a brave front for him. She glanced at the sun in the sky, and realized that she was going to be late if she didn't get home soon. She ran through the forest, hoping that her mother wouldn't be too angry when she got home. She saw her house up ahead, and her mother waiting with Mamoru's mother. They looked worried, but their expressions didn't lessen as much as she expected when she came into view. Something else was wrong then. Where was Mamoru? Her eyes met her mothers, and she knew that her best friend was missing. Full dark came, and there was still no sign of him. Usagi searched throghout the ruins as well. She called his name in the dark forest, and still he did not appear. Finally, she gave up walking around, and sat down on a piece of stone, exhausted. It had been a long day for her, and now an even longer night. She felt so confused... and her best friend was missing in the woods now. She remembered him telling her that one day that he felt a connection to Yuukan. She took a deep breath. She knew for certain now that her Mamoru was not Mamoru at all. She would think of him as Yuukan. She wondered if she called out that name, if she would receive an answer. It was worth a try. "Yuukan! Yuukan!!!" The name seemed to echo around the building, and then a figure emerged beyond the tangle of vines and weeds. That is the ending of chapter nine, minna. I can see this all coming to an end, soon. Possibly one or two more chapters. Please tell me what you think!!