All the way to chapter seven, minna! Wow...have I dragged out their suffering long enough? *grins* For all you waff lovers, you may get a hint of it in this chapter, Enjoy! Standard Disclaimers Apply Forest Walker Chapter Seven by:Lazuli Usagi made her way through the crowd of people, hoping that any second that she would be back in the normal flow of time, and that she could make her way back to the forest. Then she realized...the forest was in this time as well as her own time...so why couldn't she reach Mamoru there? *Because he isn't dead now* Her mind said to her. She clenched her fists at her side. She didn't care. Soon time would resume it's normal standing for her. She didn't have to stay here long. She finally was at the edge of the forest and walked in slowly, hoping that she wouldn't be stopped for anything. Mamoru had said that his family had lived in here...and they hadn't been well liked by the townspeople after awhile. She hoped that she woudln't be mistaken for something who had ill intent towards the family. She wasn't sure if her wishes were answered or not when she came upon Mamoru in the forest, with an axe carefully held at his side, and an disturbing look in his eyes when he saw Usagi. "What are you doing here? Who are you?" He asked harshly. Usagi's heart sank. He wasn't her Mamoru. This was the Mamoru before he died. Before he grew starved for love and companionship. Who had never lost his family, and who had never met her. She went to run when she ran into something more awful looking. Usagi stared in fright as the huge man came closer to her, and she thought that she had never seen anything so ugly or frightning. He had no teeth, and he was holding out his hands to her as if he expected her to come close enough to him to even touch him. She could already smell him, and she almost threw up at the odor. She whimpered in fright and prayed for someone to save her. She felt warm arms wrap around her and drag her to a safe place, and she recognized that warmth being as Mamoru. She looked up, briefly, and realized again that it was the Mamoru of this time. It was strange, but she didn't want this one. She wanted the one that she had grew to love and the one that she had learned about. The man who's soul cried out for hers. She felt another warm hand hold her own, and for a moment, she was seeing two Mamoru's. Then she was gone from that time and place, and back in Mamoru's arms. Mamoru couldn't believe it. He saw himself, holding Usagi from danger...protecting her. He smiled ironically. He didn't want his old self to protect her. He knew that even that it was himself, he would lose her anyways shortly when his family was attacked. He didn't want to cause her heartbreak anymore. He grabbed Usagi and smiled at himself before they left his past, and went back to *his* home, the place the was neither the past or the present. He held Usagi close to him, and just reveled in the fact that she was here, that she came back for him...to be with him. Usagi looked up at him, her eyes filled with all the emotions that he was feeling at the moment. He smiled gently at her, and then lifted her in his arms, walking to his house, where they could be alone together, and to talk of what choices Usagi would make. Once back in the house, Usagi threw herself into Mamoru's comforting embrace. Now that she was back here, any moments of dizzines were gone, and any sense of unease had left her as well. She felt right in his arms, and looked into his eyes, trying to tell him how frightened she had been without him, and what had happened. She knew that he would understand. He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, and Usagi felt such warmth in that simple act, but for some reason, her heart wanted more. She didn't want to start it herself, but silently pleading with Mamoru, her eyes met his, and she saw the answer there. He chuckled and set her on the bed, under the covers again. "I love you, Usagi." He whispered, stroked her hair gently away from her face. Then, faster than Usagi would have believed, his lips brushed hers in a tender kiss, before he leaned up quickly and rushed to the door, a blush on his cheeks. Usagi stopped him, a questioning look in her eyes. "Usagi...I'm sorry. I had no right to do that when I don't know your true choices yet. Please forgive me, Usagi." He walked back over to the bed, and knelt by her side, taking her two hands in his, and gently kissing the clasped hands. Usagi was speechless, but brushed the silky locks of hair out of his eyes and smiled down at him. "Mamoru...what is there to forgive?" She asked, before kissing his own forehead, then her head went back to the pillow, her eyes drifting closed, but her hands still clasped within Mamoru's own. Mamoru gazed down at her tenderly, and gently kissed their intertwined hands one more time, then he slowly got up to get some food ready for Usagi when she awoke. Usagi awoke to the smell of fresh bread and soup, and she opened her eyes to see Mamoru sitting on the edge of the bed, much like the last time she was in this bed, and feeling unwell. Feeling unwell? She felt like she just had just ran a thousand miles. She ached from head to toe, and she doubted if she could lift her hand to feed herself the soup that was so close to her. Mamoru saw the expression on her face, and he smiled. "Do you want some soup, Usagi?" He asked, holding out a spoonful to her. She nodded, weakly, and Mamoru gently fed her the soup. Usagi was overcome by his tenderness. She finally shook her head to no indicate that she wanted no more, and instead looked at Mamoru. "Mamoru, I know what you want to talk about. And before you say anything, I just want to tell you that I love you and I want to stay with you here, forever. Please say that you'll let me stay?" She asked. Mamoru put the bowl down, amazed, then gripped her shoulders lightly as he gazed into her eyes, trying to make sure that he had heard right, to see the truth in her eyes. He saw it all there, and he felt his heart release the burden that he had been carrying ever since he met Usagi. He gently lifted her up, aware of how sore she was, and buried his face in her soft hair, kissing the top of her head gently before gently letting his lips trail down her face, onto her eyelids and cheeks, and then finally brushed her lips again lightly. He felt her arms reach around him to bring him closer, and his arms held her tighter as well, the kiss becoming more as it went on. They finally broke apart and Usagi stared at him with such amazement and joy in her eyes, that he knew his eyes must reflect as well. He didn't know how long of a time they would have together, but he would treasure every last moment that they had. She leaned into his embrace again, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Mamoru...what is it like here? Do you ever see people?" She asked. Mamoru's breath stopped for a moment. He he wanted to keep the truth from her and not tell her of how lonely it could be. Not seeing a single person for years on end. The main times he ever saw anybody was when they came through the forest, and he usually didn't talk to them. He knew she wanted to know the truth though, and he spoke quietly. "No, Usagi. You hardly see a single person. Before you, I never even talked to anybody." He took her hands carefully in his, looking at her in her eyes, wondering if now was the time she would change her mind. There were other things that he had to tell her, also, that would affect her choice to stay. She didn't look any more disturbed, instead she smiled at him. "At least we can keep eachother company, Mamoru." She whispered. He hugged her tighter, and kissed the top of her head. "Usagi...as much as I love having you here, I don't want to put any pressure on you to have you stay here. Not talking or seeing any people may be hard on you, love." He paused and took a deep breath. "There are other things. The longer you stay here, the stronger your ties are to here. Soon, Usagi, there will be no going back." Usagi nodded cautiously, and decided to tell Mamoru what had happened to her when she had first left him in the forest, up until the time that he had saved her and took her back to his place. But before she could tell him a word, she found herself falling...and this time she wasn't sure where she was going to end up. She opened her eyes to find herself in the same bedroom, only it looked fresher, and clean. It had curtains hanging from the window, and she could see the signs of a fresh cleaning. She gulped uneasily and got out of bed, walking softly to the door and opened it a crack. Her heart froze in her throat when she heard screams. Screams of terror and fright. As much as she didn't want to go, she was drawn to it. She tiptoed silently to the edge of the stairwell, where she saw something that she wish she hadn't. It seemed that she went back to the time of Mamoru's death, and the end of the Kishuku family. She wanted to help...so badly....she even reached out a hand to them, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She looked up to see Mamoru there, with such heartbreak and sorrow in his eyes that she wanted to cry herself. "It doesn't do any good. I've seen this before, when I was unwillingly dragged back here on the day that I had died. I never meant for you to see it." She bit her lip and turned away from the scene, but not before she saw a struggling Mamoru die in the attempt to avenge his family. *brushes off hands* Oh! That's the end of this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! *dodges flaming objects* A big thanks goes to Ropa-chan for all her help in this fic!