Has it really been a year?

Seiya could hardly believe it, though he'd counted each and every day. Three hundred and sixty five days ago, they parted on this very roof that he and Usagi currently stood on. But this time, they were alone. There was no Taiki and Yaten. In fact, he was sure he'd never see Taiki and Yaten again, for they had resumed to their normal duties as Sailor Star Maker and Sailor Star Healer, and they were happier that way, alongside Princes Kakyuu. This time, the Sailor Senshi that usually accompanied Usagi, were dispersed among Tokyo, under strict command of Princess Serenity. And this time, there was no Chiba Mamoru, no Tuxedo Kamen, no Prince Endymion. As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. At the very moment, he was enjoying another sunset on earth, as Kou Seiya, with his Odango.

He smirked, "Hey, Odango?"

But his thoughts quickly faltered. She was leaned against the rail, bathing in the warm sunlight. Her flaxen pig-tails shimmered like real gold, and they fell in soft curls down her back, the tips caressing at her knees. Those big and beautiful blue eyes were as wide and deep as the sky itself, and they coaxed at Seiya, inviting him in. There was a certain beauty to the way she stood so still, elegant and poise. He was accustomed to her childish manners, the roundness of her baby face, the way her curls bounced with the skip in her walk. He'd grown to love her impish smile and klutzy ways. Sometimes, he had trouble believing she was really the future queen of this city, with that snob of a man, Mamo-chan, as her king. But looking at her right now, he was at awe. He truly felt he was in the presence of royalty, of someone with power and grace.

"Seiya, don't look at me like that!"

"Uh..." God damn it, get it together Seiya! "What? How?"

She huffed. "You think you're so cool and composed, but you can be such a dork," she mocked, sticking her tongue out and wiggling her fingers. The queen façade dissolved into a more familiar dumpling-head.

"You have no room to speak! You're the biggest dork of all." He laughed at the way her cheeks puffed out and the way her small hands curled into fists. It was this meaningless and stupid banter between them he missed so much.

Everything was so serious back on Kinmoku. After his home planet had been restored, there was minimum action to keep him busy. As Sailor Star Fighter, he attended to Princes Kakyuu by protecting her from all harm. Ever since Chaos was once again defeated, the threats to his home became weaker and weaker, until he was convinced the kingdom no longer needed to be defended, as did the princess. Small flocks of enemies would attempt to invade, and alone, he would defeat them all. His days were becoming very routine. Watching over Princes Kakyuu as she tended to her people, and then watching over her as she went about her days in the castle. She would talk to him, well, not him, but Fighter, about the most boring things… and unlike Maker and Healer, he couldn't soak it all in. He adored his princess and his fellow Star Senshi, but there was nowhere else he'd find this feeling of comfort and adventure than here, in Tokyo, Japan, with this dweeb. This dweeb who gave him life and faith and warmth and laughter and light and-

"Ugh, why did I even look forward to seeing you?" she grumbled.

A slow smile started spreading on Seiya's face. "You… were looking forward to this?" Pink started blooming on Usagi's cheeks, which she tried hiding behind her hands. Is she blushing? "Odango…"

"No."

"Did you…"

"No!"

"… miss me?"

"Baka!"

Yet as much as she tried to hide it, Seiya was relieved to see that she did miss him. It eased the envy he had for Mamoru. He was at ease, knowing that he had managed to make room in her heart for him. Take that, Chiba. The warm smile on his face became a slight frown. Oh, the hatred he had for that man! Who did he think he was? No, not for one second did Seiya believe that Mamoru was "destined" for Usagi. Okay, sure, in the past, when he was Prince Endymion of Earth, and she was Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, Seiya was sure that if that past would've continued the way it was, maybe then, they would've been destined together. But that past was disrupted, along with that possibility, and she was reborn, not only as Princess Serenity, but as Tsukino Usagi. She was someone else now, and she didn't have to become the princess that Endymion once fell in love with. She didn't owe him shit.

"Seiya-kun?" her kind voice broke through his grimace.

"Odango…"

She was no longer in a joking mood. Her face soothed into a serene mask of peace and calm. The tender look in her eyes was enough to make Seiya's knees feel weak. "Odango, where's Chiba?"

"Huh?" Her small head cocked to the side, and then a small smile. "Is that why you were so upset, Seiya-kun?" She giggled. He reared, taking a small step back. He hadn't meant to ask in such an awkward manner.

"I was just wondering, since you're always stuck to him," he said, as if it were just a random thought.

She didn't stop smiling, though her face saddened a little. "I don't know where he is right now. I imagine he's in his apartment, studying. Since he couldn't go to America, he's talked to the universities about online classes, so that he won't be far from me anymore. Though that might change."

Might… change? That smile didn't waver, but it seemed to get sadder and sadder, and now that the sun was fading, there was no longer a happy gleam in her eyes. Just the sad reflection of the hovering moon. For a small second, he felt a certain magic tingling in the air, and in that same heartbeat, it dissolved. He looked down, but no longer saw Tsukino Usagi. She was now gowned in a flowing ivory dress, with pale lilac ribbons dancing behind her, and threads of gold in circle shapes adorning her chest. Pearl beads were clipped atop her blonde head. And the legendary crescent moon was engraved into her forehead, the symbol of the one and only, Princess Serenity. "You… Odango… what?"

"This is who I am, Seiya. I am Princess Serenity, past heir of the Silver Millennium, future queen of Crystal Tokyo." Her voice shook, ever so slightly, but Seiya could hear it. Small tears formed at the corners of the princess' eyes. "Future wife of King Endymion, and future mother of Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity." Her hands were clasped so tightly her fingers started trembling.

"No, no, no." He took her shivering hands into his own, forcing a smile. "Odango, you can't be serious. No one knows their future-"

"I've seen it, Seiya. I've seen Crystal Tokyo, I've been there," she cried. She didn't let go of his hands. She grasped them tighter. "I've even met her."

"The future queen-"

"No, you baka, my daughter, Chibiusa. She came to me for help, and she was just a small child. And then she came again, maybe a little older, and again, seeking my help. I've held her, and hugged her, and cried with her and fought for her and I've grown to love her and she's not even mine yet!" Her eyes were now flowing with tears, and they searched Seiya's face wildly. He wasn't sure what she was searching for. He wasn't sure where she was going with this. Odango… The dress disappeared. In a flash of pink ribbons, she was back into her simple, common, everyday clothes. Still, he didn't let go of her hands, and she still held his. She sniffled back her tears. "But I'm still Usagi. I'm still just a crybaby who loves food and manga too much. My future as Neo Queen Serenity is assured, if I continue down the path I'm on. But what about Usagi?" She looked so scared and helpless, and Seiya was shaking with the pure will power of holding himself back from taking her and running away from her problems. Her eyes bore into his, as if they'd finally found the light in the dark. Her trembling slowly diminished. "Seiya, you are the only one who hasn't witnessed the future. The rest, the Sailor Senshi, they want me to continue the path I'm on. They worry about Mamoru and Chibiusa, and about Crystal Tokyo." She got deadly silent just then, and a still calm took surrounded them, like an ocean just before the storm. He could feel it. He could feel her about to break.

Seiya finally found his voice. "Do you worry about them, Usagi? Do you really think that future is set in stone for you?" She closed her eyes, as if replaying his words in her head. His smile was no longer forced. It was relaxed, a little sad, but comforting. "Odango, you can't take responsibility for a future you haven't even experienced yet. You've only gotten a glimpse of what could happen." He released one of his hands from her loosening grip, and cradled her face into his palm. "Don't worry about it. Right now, you are Usagi. Think of Neo Queen Serenity as a possibility, not a compromise."

Slowly, she opened her eyes again, and there was a new shimmer of hope. For three long heartbeats, she just looked at him. He looked right back, in that dreamy and cheesy way the romance movies did it. "Arigato, Seiya-kun," she whispered. And she threw both of her arms around his neck, burrowing her face into his chest. There was no way to describe the depth of her kindness, or the warmth of her light. She was purity in the shape of a human being. And right now, she was his to hold. And so he did. He held her tight, as if there were no guardian Senshi, no man in a stupid tuxedo, no impending future of queens and daughters. He held her, and saw a new future. He saw himself, as Seiya, with her, Usagi. He saw the two of them taking strolls in the park, or dancing under flashing lights, or laughing at noisy carnivals. He saw himself spoiling her with clothes and food and stuffed animals. He saw her holding his head in her laps on slow days, stroking his long black hair. He saw her cheering for him at future school games, or surprising him with home-cooked meals. And they could continue they're annoying but familiar banter, and he could pick on her and she'd laugh. He also saw himself as Sailor Star Fighter, defending his Sailor Moon when she was in danger, or fighting alongside her when she had the strength. And she wouldn't question the magical gender-change, as she hadn't so far. She would accept it, she would accept him, and all his pain and happiness and past and future and present. She would accept everything about him.

This was a new possibility. One he knew he would cling to with everything he had in his breathing body.