Usagi and her prince had a fairy tale romance and the other senshi never let them forget it.

"Oh, Mamoru can't see you today? That's a shame. I can't find a boyfriend for five minutes. Please, tell me more about how you can't see the man you'll be with for the rest of your life." "Mamoru, what's it like not having to send flowers to Usagi since you already know she's yours? And by flowers, you know, I mean the ones you don't toss around in battle." "It must be amazing knowing that you're already with your soulmate; the love of your life."

In some respects, it was wonderful that Usagi and Mamoru had found each other so early in their lives. Sure, Mamoru had been a little ahead of Usagi age-wise, but he'd helped her mature. He also helped her study, get more powerful in battle… there was never a moment that she didn't feel lucky to have him.

On the other hand… Usagi felt that because Mamoru knew they would be together forever, he took the time they had now for granted. The teasing the others did about him not being romantic stung because it was true. Roses might have been commonplace with him, but then why couldn't she have some on the anniversary of their awakening, or for Valentine's Day?

She had always thought she was being childish and that it was wrong to expect those things of her prince. Their love was one for the history books…

Usagi had moved past her selfish desires for roses, extra date nights and more attention a few months ago. She'd become happy, if not a little complacent, with the way things with Mamoru were going.

His studies have just been so hard… she thought to herself. If Ami was having trouble with some of his work, Usagi knew she didn't stand a chance. As soon as he graduates things will be a lot different.

But even in the scope of forever, two years felt like an agonizingly long time to wait.

Plus, she'd recently had a taste of what roses and more attention could be like… and it was nice. Really nice. Too nice… especially since it wasn't coming from Mamoru.

"Did you hear?!" Minako squealed excitedly as she burst into the classroom. She shouted her news for all to hear as they sat at their desks eating lunch. "The Three Lights… they're transferring to our school! They're pulling up RIGHT NOW!"

The announcement was met with shrieks and cries of every student, male or female, in the room. Loud squeaks of desks sliding along the tile floor and slams of chairs as they toppled over echoed off the walls as the herd of fans pushed their way through the door and into the hallway to catch a glimpse of the idols' arrival.

Everyone evacuated as if the school suddenly went up in flames. Everyone, it seemed, but Usagi. When the classroom was cleared, even Ami was gone. Not that she was surprised; the brainiac had been hinting for over a week now that she was a bigger fan of the Three Lights than she'd let on. But unlike the others, Usagi took the news with shock on her face and a massive knot in her stomach.

"This is a nightmare, right?" she whispered to herself.

All of the Sailors had gotten to know Seiya, Taiki and Yaten Kou as the Sailor Starlights in the last few senshi meetings at Hikawa Shrine. Usagi had met them in a battle at a television shoot, where they fought together and she learned of their mission to find their leader. After begging them to come with her so she could introduce them to the rest of the group, it was Sailor Star Fighter, Seiya Kou, who finally convinced the other two that it was a good idea.

Now, she wished she'd listened when Sailor Star Healer and Maker told her to buzz off and let them go on their merry way. That way she never would have gotten close to Seiya, and the unwelcome butterflies he stirred up inside her.

Only Mamoru should give her butterflies like that. Lately, the guilt she felt when she did see him was more than she could handle. She was having a hard enough time keeping her feelings in check, and now she would see Seiya every day?

"Hey, Odango," rasped a familiar voice in her ear.

Ugh, he was smooth and he knew it. Usagi jumped, shuddering as she turned around. "S- Seiya," she said, though was unable to keep from stuttering. She forced a smile. "You didn't tell me you were planning on coming to this school."

He smirked in that way that made all the girls swoon as they filtered back into the classroom. "Well, going to the same school as you made it an easy choice. Are you happy with your teacher? Because I arranged for us to have her, too."

The pit in her stomach plummeted even further. "You… d- did?"

He laughed. "I'm going to take your stammering as a compliment." He'd slipped into the desk behind her, and when the guy who usually sat there came back in, it didn't take much convincing for him to give up the seat. "Thanks, man, I really appreciate it," Seiya was saying to him as the other classmate relocated.

Usagi was sick to her stomach by the time class began. 'Would Mamo-chan have done all of this if we were in the same grade?' she asked herself. Mamoru was very by-the-book and infuriatingly independant sometimes; she knew he would never have transferred classes and schools just so they could be together all day. Sometimes he thought they were together too much as it was, telling her after a dinner or movie that she should get home and study while he did the same in his apartment. If it were up to her, Usagi would spend every waking moment with her Mamo. She didn't really understand why he wanted so much space sometimes.

Luckily, they had arrived so late into their lunch break that classes resumed shortly after they came in. As if Usagi didn't find school difficult to pay attention to before… her mind was swirling when the first afternoon lecture began.

"You'll show me around, won't you, Odango? Yaten and Taiki already went with Minako and Ami."

His breath was on her face again and she snapped back to reality to find everyone packing up and leaving. The day was over? She looked down at her notebook to find she'd drawn little stick figures all over the page. Some were of her- identified by the two circles on her head- dancing, eating and laughing with a man in a mask, a rose, and a little top-hat.

Some of the others her doodle-self interacted with had a long, black ponytail.

Usagi slammed her notebook shut. "Show you around? You really are relentless, you know that?"

"Well of course I am. How do you think me and my brothers became idols?"

She grit her teeth, finding she did so not only in annoyance, but also to keep from smiling because he was just too quick with his retorts. Slowly, she regained her resolve and stood, turning to face him still seated at his desk. "You know Mamo-chan isn't going to like any of this."

Seiya looked hurt as he stood. "Any of what? We had to find a good school to go to, and Juuban High met the requirements. He can't oppose a good education."

"No, but he can oppose the class you forced your way into."

Seiya shrugged. "So let him try. We can go talk to him right now, if you want. I'll tell him our reasoning and make sure to set it all straight. Sound good?"

Usagi couldn't hide her disappointment and cursed herself for it as she looked down at her shoes. "We can't today. He said he'd be too busy with school until Friday to see me."

She didn't have to look up to know that Seiya had been expecting that and gazed down at her with pity. More often than not, Mamoru was too busy to see her during the week unless they came across an enemy; then he was always there to save and protect her. It was getting to the point now where she almost hoped a terrible new threat would come upon them to give her an excuse to see him more.

Usagi sighed as she collected her books. "Let's just get out of here. What part of the campus do you want to see first?"

Usagi showed Seiya the library (it was the first time she saw it herself), the cafeteria, and her favorite side route to take through the halls if he ever came in late. He teased her relentlessly, especially when he found out how often she needed to take that side route, but she couldn't say it bothered her. She could tease him back, and he would laugh. Sometimes she would cringe at her jokes; were they too harsh? Mamoru would have thought so, but those got the heartiest laughs from Seiya. When they went to the gym and soccer fields he showed off just how athletic he was, and Usagi couldn't help but be impressed. She was far from an athlete and didn't even know if Mamoru liked soccer or basketball, but Seiya inspired a newfound appreciation for athletic ability as he scored basket after basket or goal after goal. He'd attracted quite a crowd to the field, and even as every other girl screamed and cheered his name when he scored, he would only have eyes- and a wink- for Usagi.

She found she was especially drawn to his musical talent… which made sense, she supposed, because that's how he'd gotten so famous. When the sun began to set she knew she'd been with him for far too long, yet found herself on the rooftop of the school with him. She stood against the chainlink fence, watching the view of Juuban and thinking about how mad Mamoru would be to see her there as Seiya sat on a bench, softly strumming his guitar.

But Mamoru isn't here, is he?

He hadn't even taken a minute out of his day to leave her a message on her communicator.

Usagi listened as Seiya tried a few chords, tested out a few lyrics, and murmured to himself from the bench behind her until he called out, "Okay, Odango… you're gonna be the first one to hear this song I just made. It's definitely gonna be our next single; I can feel it. Ready?"

She knew she should have told him no. But she should have said no to showing him around, coming up onto the roof with him, staying for just a little while longer…

She wanted to hear what he'd written, and didn't have the self control to oppose him.

"...I'm ready."

He smiled and looked down at his guitar. "It's an honor to hear this song even before my brothers, you know. And when it's playing non-stop on the radio… you'll know that you were its muse."

Usagi looked down, feeling guiltier than ever about being up on that roof with him. Yet as Seiya began his song, she couldn't tell him to stop. Such was always the way with this mysterious idol from another world. He always tested the waters, and she always let him. She just couldn't bring herself to tamp down her curiosity and see where he would go. She didn't want to shut him down for fear that he would stop giving her the attention she craved so badly.

The attention Mamo-chan should be giving me.

The tempo of Seiya's song was slow, and as she lifted her head to look out over the city again, closed her eyes and let each note absorb into her soul. Each note was purposeful; melodic. Perfect, in a way she was unable to explain. And when he began to sing, his voice was low, as if exposing himself; unsure if he should be speaking the words out loud:

In my dreams, how many times have we
Given each other tender kisses
When I look into your round eyes
I am drawn right into them

Those round eyes immediately began to burn with tears as she listened, stunned by just how penetrating the composition was.

Because my heart is beating so quickly
I know myself that this is for real
This heartache is too much, I've grown tired of it
I won't give up on this

Why did she allow him to sing this to her? Every word was a painful, yet beautiful stab to the heart. This couldn't keep going on like this. Her feelings for Seiya… they were getting too strong...

If we had only met earlier
All I can find is that excuse
To the distances where the moonlight doesn't reach
Oh, I want to take you away there...

If they had only met earlier… what would her life have been like?

He strummed the chords for a few more measures before the music died. "That's it so far…" he said softly, and she heard him set the guitar down behind her.

Her legs refused to move as she felt him grow closer to her.

"Odango…"

"I can't do this, Seiya." It took hearing her own voice to realize she was crying. When Seiya realized the same, his hands were on her shoulders and he spun her around to face him with a look of horror on his face.

"Odango, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cr-"

"I have a boyfriend, Seiya; you know this. More than a boyfriend… a prince, who I have been in love with for centuries. Mamoru Chiba... Prince Endymion. We're destined for one another. I'm sorry. I let..." she gestured between the two of them, "...this, go on for too long. I pushed the line too far. Allowed my feelings…" She trailed off and looked down at her fingers as huge, hot tears spilled from her eyes.

Seiya was silent for a long moment before lifting his hands to her shoulders again, hovering over them without making contact, and dropping them to his sides with balled fists. "Allowed your feelings… to what?"

Usagi let out a humorless laugh and shook her head. "Jeez, you really never know when to let up..." But it was time to be honest. She owed it to both of them, and later, to Mamoru. She needed to voice her thoughts and get them out into the world once and for all before she dropped them entirely. Raising her chin, she met his gaze through her own blurred, teary vision. "I've allowed myself to care too much for you… I'm afraid of how much I've come to like you. I want to be friends with you, Seiya. I do. But I can't if you keep following me around and write me beautiful songs. It's not fair to Mamo-chan for me to feel like this." She wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve and sniffled. "I'm sorry, but… if you can't see me as just a friend, then you need to transfer out of this school and please, please leave me alone."

The hurt in his eyes nearly killed her. She hated everything about this situation, especially how much her heart ached as she watched his stunned face. The hands that were once at his sides were now on either side of her, gripping the chain link fence she found herself crushed against as he leaned in. "The last thing I wanted to do was upset you, Odango. I am so sorry." He watched a tear fall down her cheek before meeting her eyes again, pain staring into pain. "I will back off... but only if you promise me you'll consider this: I know you have Mamoru, and he was your prince from long ago… but what if that's all he was? Tuxedo Mask may be there for and protect Sailor Moon now, but he, Mamoru Chiba, doesn't treat you, Usagi Tsukino, the way he should. The way I would… as Star Fighter or Seiya. I would never take you for granted like that… you're far too special. You're the most amazing woman in the universe, and deserve to be treated that way. You have never known anything but him… you have no idea if he's really the right one for you in this life. I can show you what love can really be."

He played her as expertly as his guitar. Just because she and her prince had been reborn together, didn't mean that they had to end up together? She'd never considered that before. And it was true; Tuxedo Mask was always there for Sailor Moon… but Mamoru could be so distant to her as Usagi. How had she never really put these pieces together?

"Maybe destiny just wanted you to play out the whole story in this life," Seiya said. "Who's to say you would have ended up together even in Silver Millennium? Think about it. Do you just feel like you want to be with Mamoru because of your past lives, or is there something more? Allow me the chance to treat you right, Odango. Even if it's just for a week, let me show you that destiny may not be what you think it is. I don't want you to answer me now; I want you to think about it. Take a few days… and this."

Again, she was too wrapped up in his words and curious about where this could go that, as Seiya leaned in, she didn't move. She knew exactly what he was giving her 'to take,' and damn it all, she was going to let it happen. She wanted it to happen. She even closed her eyes and held her breath as she leaned forward, just slightly, allowing Seiya's lips to touch her own.

She sucked in a breath, and as arms tangled and mouths opened, Usagi experienced a kiss so full of passion it would have brought Silver Millenium to its knees.