A/N: Enjoy!

Transform. In front of my family. Just the idea filled me with a dizzying rush, and I was glad that I was sitting so that I couldn't do something really embarrassing like fall over. There weren't many people I had transformed in front of outside of the senshi and Mamo-chan. Each time was embarrassing because transforming had always felt like a private thing for all that I was used to doing it out in broad daylight on a public street. I wasn't sure how I felt about doing it just to prove who I was, but I knew that Shingo was right. One look at Mom's and Dad's faces told me that they weren't going to believe me anytime soon. I could tell them all of the stories in the world and they would still doubt me unless they had proof.

"Okay," I said finally, closing my eyes in resignation. "I'll do it. Just - " I looked around, remembering the last time I'd had to transform in the dining room. There had been a lot of dishes shattered that day thanks to my wings, and when Mom got home she'd given me an awfully hard time. Granted, I probably wouldn't be moving around as much but it still seemed like a smarter idea to just do it somewhere else and save myself the hassle. "Do you mind if we move to the living room? There's more space."

Mom and Dad looked at each other. "Alright," Mom said after a minute, and I could tell that she was just humoring me. "Just give me a minute to clear the dishes from the table, and then we'll be right in."

I nodded and got up, following Shingo out into the living room. "I almost thought that they were going to tell me they already knew," I said as he went over and sat down on the couch. He was smirking, the little brat. He was going to fully enjoy the fact that he'd figured it out and Mom and Dad hadn't. That was Shingo for you. He never missed an opportunity to gloat.

"I could have told you that would never happen," he replied, putting his feet up on the coffee table. He knew he wasn't allowed to do that, but he did it anyway. I gave him a look and he rolled his eyes but put them back on the floor. "No parent is going to want to admit that their kid is the one jumping around in a mini skirt trying to protect the city from god knows what. But that goes double for Mom and Dad, because you know how protective they are of us. If they ever did come close to figuring it out, they probably just told themselves that they were imagining things."

I glanced over at him, a little surprised by the insight he was showing. "You're probably right," I admitted, knowing that there was no 'probably' about it. In a way, I was glad that Mom and Dad had never realized the truth on their own. I wouldn't have wanted them to confront me with the situation before I was prepared for it. And before now, I wouldn't have been. I sat down beside him on the couch and leaned back. "How do you think they're going to take it?"

Shingo thought about it. "The way I see it, they'll either be really angry you never told them before or Mom will cry and try to guilt trip you into never doing it again."

Neither scenario sounded all that appealing. I let my head drop back against the couch and groaned. "Oh god, remind me again why I'm doing this?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," Shingo said simply, and he sounded so serious that I turned to look at him in surprise. He was looking back at me already, and his cheeks were flushed from embarrassment. "Because you always do the right thing, Nee-chan. It's one of those things I've noticed about you." He cleared his throat. "Something I've come to admire about you."

"Shingo..." I stared at him, stunned by the admission. The two of us had never been all that close. Shingo loved to tease me, and I wasn't the kind of person who took teasing well. Maybe we just too close together in age, or just too different in personality. But now we were both growing up, and I thought - maybe it's not too late after all. "Thank you."

We heard footsteps at the door, and Shingo shifted and then pulled away from me. I didn't blame him. Mom and Dad walked in, and it was obvious that they'd been having a talk in the kitchen while they cleared the table. They were both wearing forced smiles. It was a smile I'd seen before. I'd come to recognize it as the 'let's humor our daughter and pretend that this isn't going to blow up in her face' look. It used to bother me. But now I knew I'd have the chance to see it disappear, and I was looking forward to it.

"Alright, let's get this over with," said Dad. Mom elbowed him hard and he jumped. "Um, I mean, go ahead sweetheart."

I had to bite my lip to hide my grin. "Okay Dad," I said when I felt ready to talk without laughing. I stood up and moved into the center of the room, reaching into my pocket. I pulled out my locket and held it between my hands. I waited there for a couple of seconds until I heard Dad shifting restlessly, and then I shouted, "Moon Eternal, Make-Up!"

The brilliant white light flooded the room for a split second, and I felt the gentle caress of feathers shifting against my body as my clothing disappeared and my sailor fuku took its place. I opened my eyes and looked at my parents, who were both staring at me in dumbstruck silence. Shingo was looking at me too, and his expression was priceless. Even though he'd known I was Sailor Moon, it was like he still hadn't really believed it until he saw me transform. He stood up slowly and reached out a hand to touch one of my wings, and even though I didn't really like it when people did that I stayed still and allowed the touch.

"They're so soft..." he managed to say.

That seemed to snap Mom out of her daze. "Oh my god," she said, and then louder with a touch of hysteria, "Oh my god. You were telling the truth. You're really -"

"I am the defender of love and justice, the pretty sailor soldier Sailor Moon," I replied, the familiar words rolling off my tongue. "I told you, Mom. I wasn't lying, and I wasn't using this as some sort of - chop mechanics, or whatever it is you called it."

Mom blinked at me. She rubbed her eyes. She even pinched her arm. When I just kept standing there, she slowly started to shake her head. "No, there is no way that this can be real," she said, her voice shaking so badly that I could barely understand her. "You can't be Sailor Moon. You can't. Because if you are, then that means - all this time..."

I didn't know what to say. Mom was falling apart in front of me. I hadn't expected this. I looked at Dad, but he was just sitting there with his head in his hands. "Mom, I'm sorry, but -"

"No. I can't hear anymore." She jumped to her feet and ran out of the room.

"Mom!"

"Usagi," Dad said. That one word, spoken in a tone that I had never heard before, stopped me like he'd reached out and grabbed my arm. I just stood there and looked at the door of the living room, listening to the sounds of my mother running up the steps and slamming the bedroom door. It sounded extremely loud when the rest of the house was so quiet. I wondered what she was doing, if she'd thrown herself down on the bed or if she was pacing back and forth. Mom hated being still when she was upset. That's why our house was always cleanest right after she got bad news.

Finally, I turned back around. "Daddy, I wanted to tell you the truth - I thought that you should know. I never told you before because I didn't want you to worry about me. But the fight that destroyed the city, it made me realize how easily I could die. And I didn't think that was fair to Shingo to leave him with the knowledge of what happened when you and Mom didn't know. Should I -" I stopped and swallowed hard, finishing in a tiny voice. "Should I not have told you?"

Dad looked up at me for the first time since I'd transformed. I knew I'd never forget the look on his face. He'd aged about twenty years in the span of two minutes. I even imagined I could see more grey hair lining his temples than before. Worse yet, there were tears in his eyes. I'd never seen my father cry before. I'd never thought I would be the cause of it. My throat started to ache immediately and it was only by sheer force of will that I stopped myself from bursting into tears. I wanted to listen to whatever he was going to say without influencing him either way, and I knew that crying was a way to get him to do whatever I wanted.

Maybe I should have cried. He certainly didn't have the reaction I was looking for. He stood up slowly, moving like his body was hurting him, and walked over to me. I gazed up at him as he rested his hands on my shoulders, and it was like he was trying to search for something in my eyes. I didn't know whether he found it or not. We stood there for a long time, for what felt like forever, before he leaned down and kissed me on my forehead, right over the crescent moon mark. It was brief, and when he pulled back he dropped his hands and walked out of the room without looking back.

I felt stunned. It was the only word for it. Over the past two years, I'd sometimes allowed myself to dream about what it might be like for my parents to find out I was a superhero. I thought I had imagined every possible scenario. But it had never occurred to me that they might just refuse to accept the truth. And what could I do about that? Nothing. Something of what I was thinking must have shown in my face, because Shingo stood up and walked over to me.

"They just need time," he said in a low voice. I could tell that their reactions had upset him too, though he was trying hard to hide it. "I'm - I was used to the idea by the time I told you, Nee-chan. Mom and Dad aren't. You've got to give them a couple of days to think about it."

My throat felt tight. I wanted to tell Shingo that I didn't have a couple of days. Depending on how the fight with Rubeus went, I could be dead tomorrow. But I didn't. I took a deep breath and forced myself to respond calmly. "You're right. This was a big shock, and I - I probably could have explained it better than I did. I, um," I looked around, "I guess I'll just go."

"If they ask me questions, I'll try to explain," Shingo said. He looked worried.

"Thanks," I said. There were so many answers he wouldn't be able to provide. I'd have to tell Luna to come over and explain if I couldn't. Maybe she could even use her mind meld trick. I looked at him, at my baby brother, and then reached out and hugged him hard. It was my way of saying good-bye. He might have realized that on some level, or maybe he thought I just needed the comfort, because he hugged me back. I let my transformation go and stepped back. I tried to smile at him.

"I'll see you around?" he said, making it sound more like a question than he probably intended.

I didn't want to promise him that. I said, "Good-bye, Shingo" and left.

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