Before I begin this chapter, I just want to apologize for waiting so long to write the next chapter. It's summer time here (or at least it was) at home and I needed a little vacation to get my creative juices flowing again. Thank you for being supportive and continuing to follow my story. You guys are great. So without further interruption, here is the newest chapter.
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After School
The girls had finished classes for the day and were now huddled together outside of the school building discussing rumors they had recently heard.
"Can you believe it? There was another robbery in my neighborhood last night." Ami said. "That's crazy. Someone in my neighborhood got robbed too." Mako-chan chimed in. "You're kidding, right?" Usagi asked seriously. "Why would they joke about something like this? This is serious stuff. People come into your house at night and take all your expensive things. They probably also stare at you while you sleep." Minako said nonchalantly.
Usagi froze. (Shit, I'm all alone tonight and there's probably some creep lurking around my neighborhood looking for a house to target. Maybe I should ask Seiya to keep me company. But no one can know.)
"Usagi?" Minako asked while waving her hand in front of Usagi's face. Usagi remained silent. "You there, Usagi? Usagi! Wake up!" Minako shouted. Usagi snapped out of her thoughts. "What?" she asked. "We were just wondering why you looked so deep in thought." Mako-chan said. Usagi took a deep breath. "I'm just thinking about tonight. I'm staying home alone this weekend while my parents take my brother to some kind of game convention. You say there are a lot of robberies lately and I'm just thinking of ways to protect myself."
Ami, Mako-chan, and Minako let out a unanimous 'oh'. "We could keep you company. That's what friends are for." Mako-chan said. "Ya, we could make it a sleepover." Ami chimed in. "Or, we could throw a party." Minako suggested. "Minako, I'm not going to throw a party while my parents are gone. If they ever found out, they would lose all their trust in me; which believe me, took years to build. Not only would I never be left home alone again, but also I would probably get my computer and phone taken away, and I'd be grounded for months and I wouldn't be able to hang out with you guys…" Usagi ranted. "Ok, I get it. So we won't throw a party." Minako said. (Damn, but a party would have been so cool and I could have gotten together with Yaten, that is, if he was pretty drunk. That hottie is more stubborn than Rei.)
"Look, I appreciate the help, but I think I'm going to fly solo on this one. I think it's time that I grew up a little bit and learned how to take care of myself. I'll text you guys every hour to let you know that I'm still alive. See ya." Usagi said as she grabbed her bag. She waved goodbye and headed towards the school gate. As soon as Usagi had rounded the corner, she pulled out her phone. She hit the text message icon and wrote a message to Seiya asking Can you come over tonight? I need someone to keep me company. She hit send and continued walking home.
A few seconds later, her phone buzzed. She opened the message from Seiya which said You don't know how long I've waited for you to ask me that. Usagi smiled and replied back Don't be such a pervert. I don't intend to do anything sexual with you. I just want to feel safe. Can you handle that? Another few seconds passed and Usagi received another text from Seiya saying For you, I could handle anything. See you tonight.
Usagi smiled and put her phone away. She was relieved that Seiya was going to help her. Ever since the vacation at the lake, Seiya and Usagi had secretly been dating. The decision to keep it a secret was Usagi's. She didn't want her friends to judge her and she definitely didn't want paparazzi harassing her because her boyfriend was a pop star. For Usagi it just felt right to keep it a secret. The less people involved, the better.
Usagi's House
When Usagi arrived home she quickly took a shower and started cleaning the house. (Can't have Seiya think I'm a mess. But I have one slight..ly huge problem. How am I going to hide this from Luna?) Usagi thought long and hard about the solutions to her problem when suddenly a light bulb went off in her head. "Luna!" Usagi called. "Can you come here for a minute?"
Luna padded softly into the living room where Usagi was cleaning and curled up on her pillow. "Yes Usagi, what is it?" she purred. "Well, I was just thinking…when was the last time you and Artemis went on a date?" Usagi asked as she dusted. "A da-a-t-te?" Luna stuttered. "Ya, a good proper date." Usagi said. Luna remained silent. "Wow, that long?" Usagi asked. Luna blushed. "It's not like that." Luna retorted. "So, then what's it like?" Usagi asked. Again Luna remained silent. Usagi smiled. Her plan was working. "Since you don't seem like talking to me, go talk to Artemis. It seems like you two are in need of some good ole' couple bonding. You might want to get that in before you have Diana too. I hear that having a kid takes up all your time and…"Usagi was saying until Luna cut her off. "Ok, ok. I get it. You're subtly trying to tell me that I need to make Artemis feel more secure in our relationship because of my thing with Yaten. You're right." Luna said confidently. Usagi faked a smile. "Right, that's exactly what I meant to say…" Usagi said deceitfully.
Luna got up without another word and headed to the kitchen where the cat door was located. She slinked outside and headed in the direction of Minako's house. When Usagi was sure Luna had left, she raced for her phone and texted Seiya all clear. A few seconds later, she got a response saying on my way.
Usagi headed back into the kitchen and started preparing tea and cutting up the cake her mom had left her. By the time the tea had boiled, the doorbell rang. Usagi ran and opened the door to see a familiar face. Seiya stepped inside and gently kissed Usagi. When they pulled apart, Usagi's cheeks were bright red. "Guess you're not used to kissing a guy as attractive as me." Seiya joked. Usagi smiled and playful punched Seiya in the arm. "No need to act cocky, you already got me." Seiya wrapped his arms around Usagi's waist. "You're right, I do have you. Now, what's the plan for tonight? Make out for a while, then cuddle and watch a rom-com?" Seiya said with a grin. Usagi giggled. "Wow, you're so romantic when it comes to couple stuff." Usagi said sarcastically. "Come on. We're going to my room." She continued as she took Seiya's hand and led him down the hall. She opened the door to her room and stopped at the door while Seiya walked around and took everything in. "I'll bring some tea and cake. Be right back." Usagi said. Seiya didn't respond though. He was too busy focusing on a picture that was on top of Usagi's dresser. (Him again. Why does she keep this picture up if they aren't together anymore? Why doesn't she have a picture of me up there?) Seiya was still gazing intensely at the picture when Usagi walked back into the room.
She set the tray of food down on the table and walked over to Seiya. She put her hands on his shoulders and peeked up at him from his right shoulder. "What are you doing Seiya?" Usagi asked calmly. Seiya continued looking at the picture as he started talking. "I'm thinking about this picture and what it must mean to you to still have it here even though you two are no longer together." "Seiya," Usagi said sadly, "can we sit and I'll tell you?"
She led him over to the table and both of them took a seat. "Mamoru will always have a place in my heart, Seiya. He was my first love. We were together for a long time. We were even thinking about getting married and having a child before I called things off." Usagi said quietly. "But just because I loved him doesn't mean I can't love anyone else. Sometimes you need things to remind you of that. That's what that picture means to me. It reminds me that even though I was happy with Mamoru, I can always be happy with someone else, someone like you."
Seiya gazed at Usagi. "You saw a future with him?" he asked. "I didn't just see a future with him, I knew it, I felt it and it took a lot for me to end something that I knew would bring me joy and happiness in the future." Seiya looked at Usagi intensely and remained silent for a while. After a couple minutes he spoke up. "I know what you mean. I sing for one person out there, someone that I care for very deeply, but it doesn't mean that I can't experience happiness because she is gone." Seiya took Usagi's hands and clasped them in his. "I care about you, about us, and I don't want us to fail just because of past feelings for others." He said. Usagi nodded slowly.
"Can I tell you something else, Odango?" Seiya asked. "Can we forget the serious stuff for a little bit, Seiya? I just want to have some fun." Usagi said. "Ya, that's fine." Seiya said as he gripped his transformation pen in his pocket. Usagi noticed that his hand was in his pocket and pointed at it. "What are you looking for?" she asked. Seiya pulled his hand out of his pocket and laid it on the table. "It was nothing." He responded as he looked out the window. Usagi glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. (I hope I didn't just ruin a special moment. Stupid Usagi.)
In the silence, Usagi heard a soft knock at her door. She got up to open it and saw Chibi-Chibi. "Chibi-Chibi, what are you doing here? I thought you went to the convention with the rest of the family." Chibi-Chibi shook her head no. "Ok, come in." Usagi said and she picked Chibi-Chibi up and brought her in the room. "Hey Seiya, do you mind if Chibi-Chibi hangs out with us. I didn't realize she was at home." Usagi asked sweetly. "Sure. But I have a question. How did you not know that your little sister was here?" Seiya asked. ""You know how she is. She disappears and reappears at the strangest times." Usagi reasoned. Seiya nodded. (Well, that is true.)
Just then, the front doorbell rang. Usagi put Chibi-Chibi down next to Seiya and went to see who it was. When she got to the front door she checked to see who it was through the peephole. She saw four familiar and unwelcome faces. She opened to door to shoo them but they crowded in. When Usagi collected herself, she confronted her four friends: Ami, Minako, Mako-chan, and Rei. "What are you doing here?" Usagi asked in an annoyed tone. "Well," Minako answered, " you promised to text us every hour so we knew that you were still alive. When we didn't hear back from you, we got worried and came over." "With snacks and drinks?" Usagi said flatly. "Well, we thought if we come over and find out you're alive, we might as well stay the night and have a girls' night." Rei explained cheerfully.
"Odango, who's at the door?" Seiya yelled from Usagi's room. Everyone in the hall turned in the direction of the voice. Usagi slapped her face and the others' mouths dropped. "You didn't want us over…because you already had company?" Mako-chan asked. "Usagi, what are you doing with Seiya…alone…in your home." Ami asked.
Usagi turned around to face her friends. "It's not like that Ami. I asked him to come over because I needed help fixing something I had broken. He was the only guy I could think of." Usagi lied. "Of course you manage to break something while you're home alone." Rei remarked. Usagi gave Rei the middle finger. "Love you too." Rei replied.
While the girls chatted in the front hall, Seiya waited for Usagi with Chibi-Chibi in her room. Becoming impatient, he went outside the room to see what was keeping Usagi from him only to see four very surprised best friends. "So what did she break this time, Seiya?" Mako-chan asked. "Break?...Oh, she busted a old picture frame. I had to glue some pieces back on." Seiya lied. Usagi looked at him with such a look of relief he could easily read the message behind it. (She's telling me thank you for lying to her friends. I wonder when we won't have to keep it a secret anymore?)
Seiya spoke to the group. "Since you're all here, let's hang out. We can play cards or something in the den, right Usagi?" Seiya said coldly. Usagi froze when she heard his tone. (He sounds mad or disappointed.) "Ya, great idea, just help me finish the final details on the picture frame while the girls unpack the food." She said cheerfully. She walked past Seiya and into her room. She saw Chibi-Chibi sitting on her bed making 'bed-angels' and walked over to her. "Chibi-Chibi, the girls are here. Why don't you go see if they need any company?" Usagi said tenderly. Chibi-Chibi nodded and hopped off the bed. Before she walked out of the room, she sent Usagi an encouraging smile.
Once Chibi-Chibi was out of the room, Usagi closed the door and turned towards Seiya, who had taken a seat at Usagi's desk. "What was that?" she asked sternly. "What was what?" Seiya asked flatly. "This." Usagi answered frustrated. "Why are you mad at me all of the sudden? What did I do?" "I'll tell you what you didn't do. You didn't tell your friends about what's going on between us." Seiya hissed. "I told you, I'm not ready to tell them. You know that." Usagi answered. "Maybe you're not ready to tell them because you still love Mamoru." Seiya spat. Usagi glared at Seiya. "I will always love Mamoru but I am not in love with him. I can't believe you would say that after I already explained it to you. " Usagi said in disbelief. "Maybe you should just go Seiya. I didn't know you felt this way. If you don't want to respect my privacy about this situation then I'm not ready to be in a relationship with you." She said quietly. Seiya opened his mouth then closed it. There was nothing more he could say. "I'll walk you out." Usagi said.
They both left Usagi's room and headed for the front door. As they passed the den, Minako called out to Usagi. "Usagi, you will not believe who is here." She yelled. Usagi went back into the den with Seiya to see who it was only the find the other two-thirds of the Three Lights. "Taiki, Yaten, what are you doing here?" Seiya asked. "We were looking for you." Yaten said coolly. "Ya, but how did you find me? I didn't tell you guys I was coming here." Seiya said slightly confused. "We tracked your phone." Taiki replied. Seiya shook his head. (Of course he would.)
"Anyways, we convinced them to stay and hang out with us too." Rei said. "Great." Usagi responded sarcastically. Luckily, no one picked up on the tension between Seiya and Usagi.
Everyone gathered around the table and started playing a card game. They were an hour into the game when the doorbell rang again. Usagi stood up to go see who was at the door and Seiya volunteered to go with her. When they stepped out of the den Seiya took Usagi's hand. "Can you hold on a second? I want to apologize. I really care about you and I don't want to mess this up. I guess I'm jealous of the history you have with Mamoru and honestly I am a little insecure. But, I totally respect your wish to keep this a secret. In a lot of ways I agree with your decision. " Usagi smiled a little. "I accept you apology. I'm sorry too for making you think that I don't care about you as much as you care about me. I really care about you and I want this to work ." She said. "Now, can I open the door before whoever's behind it leaves?" Seiya let her hand go and stood in the doorway. She pecked him on the cheek and then went to answer the door.
When Usagi saw that Haruka and Michiru were at her house, she was elated but when Seiya saw them, he cringed.
Haruka was smiling until she saw who was lurking in the hallway. "You." She said coldly to Seiya. Seiya glared. "Why are you here?" he asked Haruka. "None of your business, pop star brat." Haruka said coldly. Haruka then turned to Usagi. "Do you mind if we hang out here for a little bit. My car broke down not to far from here and we're waiting for a tow truck." Usagi nodded. "Absolutely. Come on, everyone is in the den." "Everyone?" Michiru asked hesitantly. "Come on, you'll see." Usagi said as she motioned for them to follow her.
When everyone had settled into the den, an awkward silence had developed, as well as tension. Minako was constantly glancing at Yaten and Yaten was trying to ignore her. Taiki and Ami were in a corner discussing good hospitals in the area. Seiya and Haruka were openly glaring at each other while Michiru and Usagi were slightly worried about their partners starting a fight. Mako-chan and Rei were trying to occupy Chibi-Chibi so she wouldn't break something. This continued until another disturbance occurred.
Someone else was the door. When Usagi went to go see who it was, it was a TV show crew. She shut the door in their faces and turned back to the group that was huddled in the hallway. "What should I do." She asked. "Get rid of them. If they see us here, the headline will not be good. We'll be labeled as playboys." Yaten complained. "We'll hide while Minako gets rid of them." Mako-chan said. "Wait, why me?" Minako complained. "You always said you wanted to be on TV, now's your chance Minako-chan." Rei said. Minako tried to protest but words were failing her at the moment. Eventually one word escaped her mouth. "Fine." She said. At that, everyone went off to find hiding places.
Usagi grabbed Seiya and Chibi-Chibi and ran to her room. "Here," she said, pointing to the closet, "this will be a good hiding place. Get in." The three of them crammed in, repeatedly bumping their heads trying to find a comfortable position. Once they were settled, they heard a scream that sounded like Minako's. "I'm going to go check on her. I'll be right back." Usagi said. "Wait," Seiya said, holding Usagi back, "I should go. I'm here to protect you." Usagi smiled. "I'm sure it's nothing serious. Plus if you get caught here, your reputation will be ruined." She said. "I'll be right back. Promise." She kissed Seiya quickly and then crawled out of the closet.
Back in the kitchen where Minako was, Sailor Aluminum Siren and Sailor Lead Crow had appeared and were targeting the host of the TV show. Usagi saw this, and so did Seiya who had managed to follow Usagi downstairs without her knowing. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to stay in the closet with Chibi-Chibi." Usagi whispered angrily. "I'm here to protect you and that's exactly what I am going to do." Seiya whispered back. Usagi was really worried. (I have to transform, but not here, not in front of Seiya.)
Usagi ran to the hallway closet but found it occupied. She then ran to the bathroom but that was occupied as well. While Usagi was trying to find a place to transform, Siren and Crow were extracting the host's star seed and realizing that it was a blank. Uranus and Neptune appeared and tried to stop Siren and Crow from escaping but failed and watched the host turn into a phage.
Usagi finally found a hiding place, Chibi-Usa's old room and transformed. She then ran back downstairs to the kitchen to save Minako and the host.
Downstairs Uranus and Neptune attempted to fight the phage. Little by little all the Sailor Soldiers started to appear. First Sailor Moon showed up and prevented the phage from eating Minako. Then Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter showed up followed by the Starlights. The Starlights tried to attack the phage but the Sailor Soldiers stopped them, fearing that their attack would destroy the house. Sailor Moon stepped in quickly and defeated the phage. Once the phage was defeated, the Starlights disappeared and Uranus and Neptune left.
"Great, now I get to clean up this giant mess." Sailor Moon complained.
After the fight everyone reversed their transformation and began cleaning the house. Seiya had appeared out of thin air and was helping as well but Taiki and Yaten were nowhere to be found.
While everyone else was still cleaning, Usagi pulled Seiya aside. "What are you doing, they might see us." Seiya said. "It's nothing like that. I just wanted to say thank you. You kept your promise. You protected me." Usagi said. "How do you know I did my job?" Seiya asked. "Well, I'm still alive, aren't I?" Usagi quipped. Seiya laughed. "Yes, you are. And I'm glad." Seiya said. Usagi squeezed his hand and then went back to cleaning. Seiya remained where he was. His expression changed from happy to deep in thought. He was gripping his transformation pen again. (I don't know when will be the right time to tell her. I'm afraid she'll react badly. It isn't easy explaining that I'm a Starlight. It also won't be easy to explain that as a Starlight, I'm a girl. She would freak out. She would leave me, never want to see me again. I can't tell her.) Seiya let go of the pen in his pocket and got back to work.
Usagi walked to her room and shut the door behind her. (The events from last night are making me think about my secret. I've hidden the fact that I'm Sailor Moon from Seiya for a while now. I trust him, completely. I just don't know how he would handle it or handle my supposed destiny. He doesn't know that I'm destined to be Neo-Queen Serenity and for Mamoru to be my king. He doesn't know that I have a daughter that I've met, though she hasn't technically been born yet. He would think I that I don't care for him. He might think he doesn't fit into my destiny, but destiny is never definite. It is ever changing and maybe now my destiny lies with him. I need to tell him. I want to tell him. I don't want to keep this a secret from him. Not anymore.) Usagi reached for her brooch. (When the time is right, I will explain everything to him.)
