Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha/Toei Animation/DIC.


Chapter 3: Seiya's Chance

Dear Usako,

How have you been lately? I am sorry that I was unable to reply to your previous letters. It has been very busy over here at the university, and I barely have anytime for myself. Despite all the hard work, I am happy that I am another step closer to acheiving my dream.

I hope that everything is well and that you are taking good care of yourself.

Hopefully, I will be able to visit you in a few months and then we can make up for the lost time. I miss you.

Love,

Mamoru

Usagi gently folded the letter up and placed it into a wooden box along with all of Mamoru's other letters. She missed him dearly as well. Perhaps Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru have caught on to how she felt but whenever they wanted to talk about Mamoru, Usagi would assure them that she was fine.

It was Usagi that insisted that they continue with this relationship. Before Mamoru left, he had told her that he wouldn't be able to write all the time and that he would be very busy. He knew that it would be a burden for Usagi to wait for him. However Usagi said that she would be fine and that she would always love him. Lately though, Usagi had noticed that she was beginning to remember him less clearly. His voice, his hugs, his touch and his kisses were fading from her mind.

Gazing at the engagement ring on her finger, Usagi sadly watched the light dancing on the diamonds. She had actually wanted him to stay, but what else could she have said to Mamoru then? She couldn't hold him back from his dream, could she? Yet, she wasn't as strong as she had told Mamoru she was. She needed him here. She needed her friends here.

Sliding off her bed, Usagi headed out of her bedroom and down the hallway. She needed a walk. Perhaps a walk would be able to cheer her up and clear her head a little. Smoothing her pink tank top, and tightening the pink ribbons on her head, Usagi descended the stairs.

"Are you going outside?" Setsuna asked from the kitchen. The taller woman put down her oven gloves and slowly walked over to Usagi.

"Yeah, I wanted some fresh air," Usagi said as she pulled on a baby-blue jacket from the closet.

"Be sure to be back by dinner."

"I will," Usagi called as she gave Setsuna a cheerful wave and headed out the door.

Usagi breathed in a sigh of relief as she was bathed in warm sunlight. The young woman spun around, her pigtails swirling around her. She remembered visiting the greenhouse with Mamoru, Chibi-Usa and Hotaru only a few years before. She had danced in the flowers and Mamoru had told her that she was beautiful. Usagi smiled reminiscently at the memory.

"Did it hurt?"

Usagi stopped spinning and found Seiya standing by the driveway, gazing at her. He had his raven-black hair tied up behind him as usual and he was wearing a white shirt and blue sweatpants. His eyes shimmered mischievously as he looked at her.

"Did what hurt?"

"Did it hurt when you dropped down from heaven? You're so beautiful you must be an angel."

Usagi's face turned into a deep shade of crimson while Seiya laughed. His navy-blue eyes glittered brightly and his laughter lit up the afternoon sky. After Usagi had controlled her blush, the blonde marched over to Seiya.

"You're teasing me, aren't you?" Usagi questioned accusingly. Crossing her arms, Usagi glared at the chuckling man.

Seiya burst out laughing again.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Grumpily, Usagi marched away, leaving the laughing young man behind. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Seiya clutching his sides because he was laughing so hard. Huffing, Usagi continued forward, even angrier than before. She didn't find it funny at all for someone to be laughing at her looks and she was quite sure any girl wouldn't like that either.

"Oi, Odango, wait!"

Ignoring the shouts, Usagi stomped down the sidewalk. She didn't even bother to yell back that her name wasn't Odango. The shouts grew louder but Usagi continued to ignore Seiya. Crossing the street, Usagi hoped that she would be able to lose Seiya but was disappointed when she found that he was able to follow her. The blonde felt a hand slip around her wrist and tug lightly.

"Wait, Usagi."

Usagi was so shocked at the gentle voice and the fact that Seiya had called her by her name, that she didn't tug her arm back from him. The blonde hesitated as he said her name again. Gazing down at her sandals, Usagi let Seiya spin her around so that she faced him.

"What I meant was that you are beautiful. I wasn't teasing you at all."

Seiya looked down at Usagi's doubtful expression and frowned lightly. He wasn't joking at all. He had thought that Usagi was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met when he had first met her.

"I really wasn't joking," Seiya insisted.

Usagi offered a small smile, unsure of what to say to Seiya. No man other than Mamoru had ever told her that she was beautiful. Even though Usagi had never thought of herself as someone with great beauty, Mamoru had complimented her beauty countless times. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't had anyone say that to her for such a long time.

"I was just going to the park. Do you want to join me?" Seiya asked. Seeing Usagi hesitate, Seiya assured her that it was just for a walk. "Besides, I wouldn't hurt a pretty lady like you."

Grinning, Usagi nodded and followed Seiya as he led her to the park a few blocks away. Usagi used to visit that park often with her friends but ever since they had left, she had lost her interest in going there. It was actually a really nice park, Usagi thought as she they arrived. There were water fountains, birds, little children playing, and joggers throughout the entire area. Gazing over to the side of the path, Usagi found the bench where she and her friends would sit down on and chat after school. Occasionally she and Mamoru would come here as well to feed birds.

Seiya headed over to the bench flopped down.

"I was jogging before bumping into you," Seiya said taking a water bottle out of his pocket and gulping it down. "When I finish jogging, I would always come visit this park."

"Are you jogging to keep in shape for soccer?" Usagi asked curiously.

"Yeah, but it's kind of difficult sometimes," Seiya said as he leaned back on the bench.

"You play very well," Usagi commented brightly as she thought about the game she had seen him play a few days earlier. Their team had won and Usagi had never heard a crowd cheering so loudly before. It was mostly thanks to Seiya that they had won though.

Seiya gazed at her in surprise and smiled. "Lots of practice."

Usagi grinned, understanding what he had meant though she never had the patience to practice something repeatedly. She mostly gave up after days of disappointment. She kept on practicing for Mamoru though. Smiling sadly, Usagi stared at her feet.

"This city is really nice."

Usagi looked up in surprise. "Are you new here?"

Seiya nodded. "I just came here during the beginning of the term. It wasn't working out at the university I was attending."

"Is it hard getting used to?"

"The people here are very nice so it doesn't feel like I'm away from home.

"Oh." Usagi gazed down at the ground and swung her feet forwards and backwards. The two stayed silent for a while, but it was a comfortable silence where they could both just sit back and enjoy the sunny afternoon. Usagi smiled contently as she watched a few birds hop around on the ground, searching for food.

"Eh, Odango?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"A boyfriend?" Usagi asked, taken aback.

"Yeah."

"I…" Usagi gazed down at the ring on her finger. Running a finger along the small band, Usagi smiled sadly. "Yes, I do but he is away studying overseas right now."

Seiya grinned. "Then I still have a chance."

Seiya gazed down at Usagi. He smiled lightly as he saw a blush creep up her face. He decided that she looked really nice when she blushed. Perhaps he should tease her more often.

Usagi blushed, not quite understanding what Seiya meant by that. She actually had a clue in the corner of her mind but quickly pushed it aside. Seiya couldn't possibly like her that way. After all, she had told him that she had a boyfriend and… Seiya seemed nice but no matter what, she was loyal to Mamoru and loved him. Shifting uncomfortably under Seiya's gaze, Usagi tried to stay calm and cool headed. Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding. Then again, perhaps she could clear it up like an adult.

"You're cute when you blush like that."

"I… Wha—I… Ah, I have no idea what you're talking about," she stuttered. Usagi laughed nervously as Seiya gave her a confused look. Clearing her throat, Usagi stood up really quickly, almost tripping over her own feet. "It was nice talking to you. I, um, have to go back home for dinner and… stuff. Thank you."

With that said, Usagi dashed off, not waiting for Seiya to reply. Running as fast as her feet could carry her, Usagi darted out of the park in record time, leaving a small dust trail behind her.

A few blocks away, Usagi stood panting by a tree. She had wanted to handle the situation like an adult and tell Seiya that she didn't like him like that. However as soon as she had opened her mouth, she began doubting herself and thinking that she had probably been wrong about the situation. It wasn't the first time that she had been wrong about these types of things. Then Seiya had said that she looked cute when she blushed. That comment definitely sounded like he was interested in her. In the end, she ended up chickening out and running away from Seiya as if he was a hungry cheetah.

"It –huff- was probably –huff- nothing," Usagi panted, leaning against the tree and pushed Seiya out of her mind. Closing her eyes, Usagi took in a big gulp of air. Haruka was probably right. She was out of shape. Then again, it wasn't her fault entirely. School was busy and there hadn't been any enemies showing up in Tokyo since she had started high school so there had been less running away from them. She still had some exercise when running to school but that didn't happen as often anymore.

Straightening up after a few more moments, Usagi decided that she would try working out more. Her thoughts drifted back to Seiya. He said that he liked jogging around the city. Usagi blushed and shoved Seiya out of her mind. She knew one thing for sure: she definitely wasn't going to jog.


Usagi lifted her sketchbook in front of her and glared angrily at the page. No matter what she did, it seemed that the cat's body was out of proportion. Living with Luna all these years, Usagi was sure that the cat didn't look right. Usagi gazed enviously at her neighbors' sketches. If only she could draw like them. Turing the sketchbook around, Usagi squinted at her sketch, trying to make out the cat she was drawing.

"What's that?" Usagi's neighbor huffed, leaning over to look at her drawing.

"A cat."

"It doesn't look like a cat," she replied coolly, pointing at Usagi's drawing.

Usagi covered her drawing with her hands and glared angrily at her neighbor. A voice interrupted the blonde before Usagi could argue back.

"I think it looks good."

Both women spun around to find Seiya behind Usagi. The young man grinned good-humoredly as he peered over Usagi's shoulder to admire the drawing.

"I didn't know you were in my art class!" Usagi gasped.

"I transferred to this class because my other one was boring," Seiya explained, flipping his ponytail behind him.

"How does my drawing look?" Usagi's ginger-haired neighbor asked Seiya eagerly. The young woman shoved her sketch in to Seiya's face excitedly. Mimet's eyes glittered gleefully as Seiya took her drawing and examined it.

"Ah…" Seiya scratched his head as he looked from Usagi to the other woman. Usagi's turned away from Seiya, clearly displeased about the situation while Mimet batted her eyelashes at him. The man ignored Mimet's flirting. "I… ah, actually I like both of them very much."

"But surely mine is better," Mimet pressed as she leaned closer to Seiya.

"Well…" Seiya gazed down at Mimet's sketch of a handsome looking male. He furrowed his brow as he noticed Mimet leaning closer to him but made no comment on it. "The anatomy of the person is nice but…"

Seiya laughed nervously as he noticed Usagi sulking. He didn't want to make Usagi unhappy. Sighing, Seiya raked his fingers through his hair. "I'm not good at judging art. You should find my friend Yaten for that."

"I want your opinion though," Mimet said. The young woman started to twirl her ginger hair with her fingers as she gazed flirtatiously at Seiya. "But you don't need to tell me. Anyone can draw better than Tsukino."

Seiya thought Mimet's comment was a little unfair to Usagi. Seiya gazed over at Usagi who was furiously scribbling on her picture. The blonde looked like she was on the verge of bursting into tears. "Actually, I like Usagi's drawing more than yours."

Mimet's smug smile instantly slipped off her face. "Pardon?"

"I said I liked Odango's drawing better," Seiya said calmly as he met Mimet's apricot colored eyes.

Narrowing her eyes, Mimet snatched her sketchbook back from Seiya. The raven-haired man silently watched as Mimet collected her supplies before stomping off to another part of the room.

"You didn't need to say that," Usagi mumbled as she gazed down at her sketch. The blonde played uncertainly with her hair as she talked to Seiya. Taking a deep breath, Usagi raised her head and looked at Seiya. "Everyone knows that I can't draw."

"I thought your dog looked nice!" Seiya said as he lifted Usagi's drawing. He smiled as he glanced at the sketch. It wasn't what someone would call a wonderful piece of art but he thought it was pretty cute.

Narrowing her eyes, Usagi stood up stiffly and snatched her sketchbook away from Seiya. The raven-haired man appeared completely baffled as he looked at Usagi.

"It's a cat!" Usagi shouted angrily before turning around and stomping out of the classroom.


Usagi stared dismally at the grass beneath her as she thought back to what had happened earlier during the day. She had thought about it, and had realized that she had been a little harsh on Seiya. The blonde lifted her head and gazed in the direction of the soccer field where the soccer team was currently practicing. Pausing for just a moment, Usagi changed direction and headed towards the field. She needed to apologize to Seiya for her behavior.

Usagi stopped beside a tree where she could find a perfect view of the entire soccer field. Her cornflower blue eyes searched the field, trying to find a certain raven-haired man.

"Score!"

Usagi's eyes snapped to the direction of the voice and found Seiya energetically giving his teammates high-fives. The blonde leaned against the tree and watched in awe as the soccer team continued practicing. What Usagi noticed first of all was that Seiya, Yaten and Taiki were amazing on the soccer field. Every one of them was swift, precise and moved into position so perfectly it was like they could read each other's minds.

The blonde also noticed that the other men on the team regarded the three with a mixture of respect and envy despite all the attention the three were getting from the women. Usagi giggled as she noticed crowds of female students gathered on the stands as they tried to catch Seiya, Yaten and Taiki's attention. She could actually see the coach gritting his teeth whenever a fan-girl would squeal. Seiya and Taiki smiled and waved at the women with friendly expressions white Yaten simply ignored them.

Despite the squealing young woman, Usagi found that she had a good time watching the soccer team play. Before she knew it, the sun was already sinking behind the horizon. Usagi lazily stretched her arms.

"Odango?" A shadow fell over her, blocking out the fiery rays of the setting sun.

The blonde blinked and looked up to find Seiya looking down at her with a strange expression on his face. Usagi bit her lip, unsure of what to do. She had come here to talk to him but now that he was in front of her, Usagi wasn't sure what to say. Fidgeting under Seiya's gaze, Usagi decided to start with an apology.

"Seiya, I… um, just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to yell at you like that when you were being so nice to me. I just… I'm sorry."

"It's alright but you're going to have to see a movie with me this weekend in return," Seiya replied, his eyes shining brightly.

Usagi frowned, her nervousness completely evaporated. "I already have a boyfriend."

"It'll be fun," Seiya said teasingly, leaning towards Usagi. His eyes sparkled mischievously.

Usagi shook her head furiously, causing her pigtails to swirl around her. "That would be unfair to Mamoru."

The two were silent for a moment. Usagi glanced away from Seiya, unable to meet his eyes. She could only love Mamoru. Smiling sadly, Seiya stepped back. "He is very lucky to have you."

The raven-haired man gazed up at the slowly darkening sky. Clouds swirled ominously overhead, enveloping the sinking sun. Seiya turned away from the fiery red sky and glanced down at Usagi.

"Come. I'll walk you home."

Usagi opened her mouth to object but Seiya interrupted her before she could say anything.

"It is unsafe for a girl to walk alone after dark." A small, mischievous smile flickered across his face as he spoke.

"It's not dark yet," Usagi insisted. Usagi's cornflower blue eyes deepened slightly. "Besides, I can take care of myself."

"You sure?" Seiya asked teasingly. "How about when you fell off your chair in art class this morning?"

Usagi blushed but managed to glare furiously at Seiya. "You saw that?"

"The whole class saw it," Seiya chuckled lightly. "Your yell could probably be heard a mile away from the building. Seriously Usagi, you can be so clumsy."

Usagi blinked and looked away, her anger slowly slipping away. Was she really that useless? "Alright, you can walk me home."

Seiya grinned triumphantly as Usagi began to head out of the school grounds. Picking up his sports bag, Seiya followed Usagi onto the sidewalk by the main road. The blonde's heeled shoes clicked dully as she traveled down the sidewalk. Seiya furrowed his brow as he watched Usagi. Something seemed off. Catching up with Usagi, Seiya noticed that the blonde seemed weary. Usagi's posture was slouched and her eyes shone dully. Frowning, Seiya asked if there was anything bothering her.

Usagi remained silent and continued to walk.

"Are you angry?"

Usagi still made no reply. When Seiya opened his mouth to ask her again, Usagi broke in to a run. Was she really that useless without her friends and Mamoru? If they did have an enemy in Tokyo now, would she be able to handle them herself? How could she take care of Tokyo when she couldn't even take care of herself? She had promised herself that she would be strong with her friends gone but…

The blonde continued to run until her feet started to throb. Stopping by a tree, Usagi sank to the ground and burst in to tears. Even with the outer scouts by her side, supporting her and encouraging her, Usagi still couldn't be the confident person she wanted to be. She remembered that whenever Mamoru and the inner scouts were with her, she could face any challenges that came her way. Why can't she be the same now? Why can't she be the same with Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Pluto? Why was she so weak?

Usagi closed her eye, her teardrops dripping on to the cold and rough concrete beneath her. Her school bag sliding off her shoulder, Usagi kneeled on the cold sidewalk, crying softly.

The blonde spun around when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Cornflower blue eyes met crimson eyes. Screaming, Usagi scrambled backwards.

The figure stepped forward, towering above Usagi. Extending his arm towards Usagi, the blonde noticed sharp black claws. Usagi rolled aside as the hand came shooting towards her. Gasping when she saw the dent it left in the concrete sidewalk, Usagi scrambled onto her feet. Her eyes darted to her school bag, lying by the tree a few meters away from her.

Usagi calculated her chance of being able to reach the school bag and retrieve the compact. The attacker moved forwards, forcing Usagi to back away. Usagi gazed at the crimson eyes, feeling anger radiate from his gaze. Before she was able to make her move, Usagi found herself pinned to a tree, the attacker's clawed hand around her throat.

Usagi tried to pull away but found that she was trapped. She couldn't escape without dislocating her neck. Usagi clawed at the attacker's hands, but his claws remained calmly wrapped around her neck, preventing her from escaping. Crimson eyes burned into her.

Usagi panicked. Screaming, Usagi began clawing at the attacker's hand and kicking him. The attacker grunted but still held on steadily to Usagi's throat.

"Odango!"

The blonde turned her head to find Seiya standing a few meters down the sidewalk. The creature also turned around, and was greeted by a rock thrown by Seiya. The creature snarled as the carefully aimed rock smacked it on the nose. Stumbling backwards, the creature growled at Seiya before backing away and disappearing.

"Odango!"

Seiya ran towards the blonde.

"Are you alright," Seiya asked as he kneeled down in front of Usagi. He raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears on Usagi's face.

Sobbing softly, Usagi shook her head. "Why am I so useless? Why can't I protect myself? Why do I always need help from others?"

Frowning Seiya placed his fingers under Usagi's chin, forcing Usagi to look up at him. Seiya gazed down at Usagi, his midnight-blue eyes shimmering concernedly. "That's not true."

"If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have been able to escape." Usagi gazed down at the cement ground as she fought to control her tears. The droplets trickled down her soft cheeks and fell to the ground.

"Odango…" Seiya's eyes softened as he gazed down at her. "I may not know you very well, but I can tell you that I don't think you're useless. Though there are some things that you are unable to do, you have friends that will be your side to help you."

"What if they are all gone?" Usagi whispered.

Seiya's eyes widened a little. The raven-haired man placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly, "You have lots of friends at school."

"They can't help me with this. I am the only one that could…" Usagi gazed up into Seiya's eyes. His concerned eyes tugged at Usagi's heart. "Seiya… I…"

Usagi blinked and drew back as she realized what she was about to say. Wiping the tears with the back of her hand, Usagi stood up and walked over to her school bag.

Seiya stood up and followed her. He watched her reach into the school bag and draw out a small object. Usagi kneeled on the ground, staring silently at the object in her hands. It was because of this that she had to defend the earth and fight against all that threatened that planet. She often wondered why it couldn't have been someone else. She already had enough problems without being Sailor Moon. Yet, whenever she would think of this, she would also remember that she wouldn't have met such wonderful friends if she had never become Sailor Moon. Right now though, she was wondering who Sailor Moon was. Sailor Moon relied heavily on her friends for her power and her strength is influenced greatly by the people she cared about. Without her friends and lover, who was Sailor Moon now?

"Seiya, could you walk me home?" Usagi whispered silently.

The raven-haired man nodded and silently led the way to Usagi's house. He could hear her footsteps shuffling quietly beside him as they walked along the sidewalk. Seiya gazed at houses they passed by as he waited for Usagi to say something; however it seemed the blonde didn't seem to want to talk at the moment. Usagi just gazed down at her feet, still clutching the compact in her hands. Feeling the need to break the silence, Seiya chattered about soccer practice and told jokes. Usagi smiled as she listened to Seiya, and even laughed at some of his jokes.

Seiya stopped when he reached the well-decorated house. The flowers on the lawn seemed to smile at the two and the emerald green grass glowed in the fiery rays of the setting sun. He wondered briefly if it was Usagi who had planted the flowers. The blonde seemed like the type to work in the gardens.

Usagi thanked him and walked up to the door. Seiya smiled softly and waved to her. The blonde turned to Seiya and returned the wave with a small smile on her face. Smiles suited Usagi much more than frowns. He hoped that she would be feeling better tomorrow.

"Usagi!"

Usagi turned to the voice and found Michiru looking worriedly at her. The aqua haired woman silently held the door open for Usagi as the blonde slipped in.

"Sorry I'm late, Michiru. You know me, I'm always--"

Usagi stopped when she realized something was wrong. First was that Setsuna, Hotaru and Haruka weren't in the house. Second was Michiru's expression. It was hard to describe… Though Michiru wasn't the most emotional person and didn't express her feelings as freely as she did, Michiru always seemed to have a polite smile on her face and greeted Usagi warmly.

Michiru's current expression was cold and her expression was serious.

"What's wrong?"

The aqua haired woman forced a smile on to her face. Michiru closed the door behind Usagi and walked over to the closet to pick up her coat. Usagi bit her lip, now knowing that something wasn't right.

"Michiru?"

"We're going to the hospital," Michiru replied shortly as she put on her coat and drew out a set of keys.

"Why?"

Michiru stared out the window for a moment. "It's Hotaru. She had been attacked by the Shadow."