I'm so sorry this took so long guys. Thanks for the patience. There will only be one more chapter and now I'm on winter break, so school is no longer an excuse. The next part should be up soon. Thank you to my reviewers AresX, Myosotis13, Aleric, and sangoscourage. A special thank you to Aleric for the suggestions of his that I used. Let me know what you think!

"Good bye Usagi-chan," I say, hugging my sister tightly. The night has ended all too soon as the sun begins to rise and my sister must return to palace before she is missed."You sure you don't need company. I can ride with you." I frown at the thought of my sister riding through the city alone at this time of day. Crime had decreased during my parents' rule, but not disappeared.

"Rest up Keiko-chan," she smiles reassuringly, reading the worry in my eyes. "It's a short ride and nobody messes with Sailor Moon. Besides you'll need some rest for later."

I smile at that comment. Last night after confessing to Usagi that I regretted not being able to see Etsu before I left the city again, she had volunteered to set things up so I could talk to Etsu without my parents' knowledge. A last hug and we part.

Hiroshi and Tamiko are waiting for me in the room Tamiko and I share. Hiroshi stands as I enter. "That was fun," he smiles, gripping my hand gently. I'm very pleased that they all got along. It was wonderful to have all my favorite people, excluding Etsu, under one roof.

I turn to Tamiko expecting to see her characteristic wide smile that had been absent since my fight with my parents. In Usagi's presence, Tamiko seemed to have returned to her happy, outgoing self. To my surprise and disappointment, her eyes are sullen and a frown mars her pretty face. "I'm going to try to get some sleep," she announces as she rises.

Hiroshi casts a concerned glance at his sister, noticing the sudden shifts in her behavior. He nods. "Probably a good idea for all of us." He hugs Tamiko and kisses my lips before leaving.

The silence between us is oppressive. I bite my lip to keep from screaming. Suddenly, my mind rebels and I turn to Tamiko. "Tamiko-chan, what is going on here?" I demand. I am so sick of responding passively to everything. It was that passive attitude that had caused me to lose my parents and almost lose my sister. I wouldn't allow it to happen again. I wouldn't allow distance to destroy another relationship.

Her eyes open wide, shocked at my uncharacteristic confrontational attitude. She averts her eyes, knowing what I'm asking. "It's nothing," she says evasively.

I cross my arms and narrow my eyes at her. "Neither of us is going to bed until you tell me what's going on here," I say firmly, refusing to allow this to continue.

Silence falls between us as Tamiko contemplates my demand. Finally she states, "You're wrong about your parents."

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but that certainly wasn't it. "What?" I manage to stutter.

Tamiko looks at me steadily. "When you were fighting with your parents, I watched them. They were devastated and they understood why you were angry. I still think there's a chance of reconciliation, but you refuse to even try and that isn't fair to anyone. If they had been unrepentant then I would have been right by your side helping you leave here, but they weren't. Hell, you were ready to cut off things with Usagi, but now things are better. Am I angry with you? Yes I am. I believe everyone deserves a second chance, but you refuse to even try." Her eyes which had hardened during her speech now soften. "Just give what I said some thought." She smiles at me softly, obviously relieved to get that off her chest.

I have no response. No more words are spoken between us as we go to bed. I close my eyes, but sleep alludes me as my mind tries to sort through my thoughts and feelings. When sleep finally finds me, it is a restless one.

Hiroshi and I ride to the palace in silence my mind clouded by exhaustion and torn by Tamiko's words. Was I turning my back on a chance of reconciliation? From my experience with Tamiko, I knew her to be an excellent judge of character. There is no doubt that my parents were upset when I confronted them, but were they remorseful? Was there a relationship left to save. Certainly everything had worked out with Usagi... it wasn't the same thing though! If my parents really wanted to work things out between us, they would have come after me like Usagi had! Besides, my relationship with Usagi was very different from my relationship with my parents. Tamiko was wrong on this one. I attempt to rid myself of these thoughts, but they continue to linger in the back of my mind.

Yumi stops short and throws her head up in the air, breaking my train of thought. In my distracted state, I had pulled to hard on the reins, forcing the bit hard against the back of her mouth. "I'm so sorry pretty girl," I coo to the angry mare. She cranes her head around to see me and wickers as if to say, "Fine, but don't do it again."

Hiroshi stops Kin beside me. "You okay, Keiko-chan? You seem a bit distracted."

I smile reassuringly at him. "I think that is a bit of an understatement." The concern in his eyes prompts me to add, "I'm fine, Hiroshi-kun." I quickly send Yumi into a brisk trot to avoid a more thorough interrogation. We reach the palace gates and Hiroshi and I part there with a quick kiss. He will go buy the supplies we'll need on the return trip while I see Etsu.

The palace is well protected and sneaking in is no easy task, but I had plenty of practice sneaking in and out when I was growing up. Unfortunately, in broad daylight this is much more difficult. I move quickly, but carefully. A familiar voice sends me scampering to find shelter so I won't be spotted.

Sailor Jupiter is lecturing two guards I don't recognize. They are young and therefore probably new. Jupiter often handles briefing new recruits. I stay out of sight, hoping to avoid any awkwardness. I never knew the Senshi particularly well. I would see them briefly around the palace and they would give me birthday and Christmas gifts, but they were always very distant.

I don't have to wait long for them to move on and I can continue. I make it to the far end of the palace which is rarely used and therefore perfect for us. Usagi and Etsu are already there waiting for me. Etsu cries out when she spots me and pulls me into a tight hug when I reach them. Usagi excuses herself to keep watch, but before she can leave a shadow appears at the door.

"Can we talk Keiko-chan?" the commanding voice of my mother is surprisingly quiet and restrained. She looks at Usagi and Etsu, "Can you two please leave us for a second?"

Not mentally prepared to deal with the turbulent emotions that dealing with my mother bring forward, I can only stare dumbly at her. Neither Usagi or Etsu move as they wait for my decision. I feel a wave of sympathy as I watch my former caretaker struggle between her love for me and her loyalty toward my mother. Even Usagi looks a bit torn, but she steps closer to me and touches my arm to let me know that she is there for me. "Go ahead," I whisper to them, not wanting to make this harder for them. "I'll come find you after this is done." I face my mother, "How did you find us?"

My mother smiles weakly. "Your sister has never been good at being overly mysterious. When she started acting so strangely I followed her." She sighs and whispers sadly, "How did this happen? When did I loose my little girl?"

"You want an exact instant?" I ask her, unable to keep the bitterness from my voice.

"You were our little miracle," my mother whispers stepping closer. I move away, unwilling to give up even an inch. "Your sister's birth had been tricky and afterward the doctors told me that I wouldn't be able to have any more children, but you proved them all wrong. You were such a beautiful baby and when I held you in that hospital, I knew I never wanted to let you go."

"But you did," I say, intrigued despite myself. I face my mother now, but still won't allow her to touch me. The tears in my mother's eyes hurt and shock me some. My mother is one of the strongest people I know and I don't remember ever seeing her cry. I hate being the cause of her pain even if she was the cause of mine. It takes all my self-control not to try to comfort her.

"That first year was wonderful," she continues. "I wish you could remember back that far. It was very peaceful so the Senshi could take care of things for the most part. For that year, we could be a family. Things didn't stay pleasant though and your dad and I were soon up to our necks in work. We figured, incorrectly it seems, that we could get another time like that year. Just one more we'd always say, but every time we finished something, three more problems would come up."

"You were so busy you couldn't spare me even one birthday!" I cry, unable to believe any of this. Of course my parents were busy, but it isn't possible that over all this time they couldn't spare me one day. "I mean, I wouldn't even have cared if we just had to reschedule the ceremony a couple of days."

"We wanted more than one day," the familiar voice of my father interjects. "What your mom and I wanted more than anything was to be a normal family and for that first year, we felt like we were. We wanted that back so badly and we assumed that since we had gotten it for that year, we could have it again."

"I see you found us too," I say, feeling a little confused as my anger and understanding clash. I take a deep breath in an attempt to settle my mind and calm myself.

My mother picks up the story, "I know we weren't there, but we really didn't think things could keep up like that. Before you were born we had focused on getting everything out of the way so we could take care of you and it had worked. We thought it could work again, but we were wrong. You grew up while we weren't looking."

"Excuses, excuses, that is all you ever give me," I yell, tears are streaming down my cheeks. I don't even know when I started crying. "I am so sick of your excuses. Do you know how lonely I was? How badly I needed you two? How do I know that things won't just go right back to normal if I give you two another chance?"

Both my parents are silent for a second. Father speaks up first. "You're right Keiko-chan. We screwed up and probably don't deserve a second chance, but we love you and we'll do anything to fix this. You come up with the terms and rules. Please give us the chance to redeem ourselves."

I silently contemplate the situation before me. Distrust fills me for a second, but I force it away. Tamiko's words ring in my head. Everyone deserves a second chance. The anger has dissipated and reason has begun to replace it. I feel a surge of happiness at the thought of fixing things with my parents. I now realize that I didn't want to come back to tell them off. I came back because I love them and wanted to repair our relationship. Here's my chance. "Let's try it," I say softly, eliciting smiles from my parents.