~Wavering Destiny~
by Strawberry Moon Rose

Enjoy =)

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi.

Chapter 32: Confrontation

Usagi wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not.

She had come to associate the sight of the masked man in a tuxedo with relief. The countless times he had rescued them during the climax of a fight wasn't something she could forget so easily. Seeing him standing there made her forget where and when she was.

She was taken back to the last time she'd seen that suit; two years ago when they'd fought Nehelania. With his absence during Galaxia, and the vacancy of enemies recently, there was no need for battle. No need to be saved. It'd been so long since she'd last seen him in his disguise, she was sure she was imagining things.

But there he was, standing before them top hat and all. His lips were pursed together in tight, fine line. Although his eyes were hidden behind a white mask, he didn't look happy.

"Mamo...?" Usagi took a step forward. "Why are you...how did you...?"

A tall woman stepped forward from the shadows. The twilight shone on her tanned skin. She stood in her typical sailor guardian uniform, garnet rod clenched in her hand.

"Sailor Pluto? I...don't get it. Why are you two here on Kinmoku?"

Their cold stares flitted to the Starlight behind her in response to her question.

Usagi turned around.

Seiya wore an unreadable expression. Whatever emotions were running through her, she did a good job of concealing them. She stood with her hands at her sides, eyes glued to the intruders.

"We need to speak with you," Pluto said to Usagi. She reached out and took her hand. "Please, come with me."

"What? Why?" she objected. Pluto's grasp was firm and unquestionable. She ignored her and dragged Usagi away from the gazebo.

Seiya rushed after them. "Hey!" she yelled. "What are you doing with her? What's going on?"

Pluto stopped in her tracks. She turned around with Usagi in hand and stared expressionlessly at the Starlight. She said nothing. The way the sundown hit her sienna eyes made them look almost red. A treacherous shade of red.

Seiya tried not to shudder under her piercing gaze. She frowned and hurried after them. It wasn't easy in her long, constricting dress. "Why are you here?" she demanded once she caught up to them.

Usagi pulled her hand out of Pluto's grasp and brought it close to her body. She didn't have a good feeling about this. Had they somehow found out about her and Seiya? Were they here to expose her as a cheater?

"I need to speak with her," Pluto repeated. She turned to Usagi and told her, "Please, there is urgent news. It will not take long."

Usagi gulped. Urgent news? What? Her eyes shifted between her fellow sailor guardian and Seiya. If they had come all this way, she really had no choice but to hear them out. After a second of hesitation, she swallowed and stepped after her.

"Bun Head..."

Usagi put on an apologetic smile. "I'll just listen to what she has to say, 'kay? I'm not going anywhere, I promise, Seiya." Her voice was tight.

Seiya stared into her eyes for a long time. "Alright," she said at last.

Usagi gave Seiya one last glance over her shoulder before following the elder guardian. They strode past a few decorated trees to the large fountain. The sound of the trickling stream should have calmed her down, but it didn't. Usagi situated herself on the stone edge, making a mental point not to fall backwards into the water.

"While they're talking, I'd like to have a word with you."

Seiya turned around. The deep voice belonged to the masked man. She recognized it, even though they'd only spoken briefly to each other once before.

"I take it you're Mamoru, right?" Seiya walked back to him.

"Yes."

Seiya leaned against a nearby tree. The lights wrapped around it offered tiny bursts of heat against her back. She waited for him to say something else, but he didn't. She got straight to the point. "Why are you on our planet? Did something happen back on Earth?"

"Sort of." A gust of wind flapped his long cape behind his back.

She waited impatiently for him to continue, but he didn't. He looked as still as a statue. "So...?" Seiya pressed. "Is everything okay or not?"

"It will be soon enough."

Seiya frowned and let out a deep sigh.

She glanced over her shoulder, trying to get a better view at Usagi and Sailor Pluto. It was getting dark and she couldn't make out their faces. Seiya strained hard to hear them, but their voices were too far away. The music playing and the chirping of the crickets drowned out their whispers.

"So..." Seiya knew she wasn't going to get any information out of him regarding their visit, so she tried a different approach. Her mind wheeled as she thought of something to say that would ease the tense atmosphere.

"Do you always dress like that? You know, the whole tuxedo getup?"

"It's necessary," Tuxedo Mask answered.

"I see... Well it must be pretty uncomfortable fighting in a suit like that." At least her Starlight uniform was lightweight and easy to move in. Sure it was probably more revealing than necessary, but it was practical during battles.

He didn't reply.

"You know, I can't tell if you're looking at me or not behind that mask. It's kind of creepy, to be honest."

"Listen," Tuxedo Mask interrupted. "I owe you a lot for taking care of Usako when I was gone, and I respect you for that. If you hadn't been there for her it would've been a lot worse."

"Of course..."

With his middle finger, he adjusted his mask. "I know that during my absence, you became quite fond of her. Usako thought of you as a close friend, and that was okay." His head jerked up. "But she came here to check up on you three because she was worried, that's it. I would appreciate it if you could control yourself."

"Control myself?"

His teeth ground together. "I'm asking that you keep your hands and lips off her body."

Seiya blushed deep red. No wonder he's angry.

"Oh...you saw that, huh? Well, I understand you're upset. But you'll have to talk with Bun Head yourself, because it's a long story. I'm sorry you found out like this, we were going to-"

"Be quiet," Tuxedo Mask snapped, making her flinch. He exhaled loudly and shifted his weight. "Usako's a naive girl. You're worthless for taking advantage of her like that."

"But I'm not! Do you think I forced myself on her? It takes two people to kiss and it wasn't like she was pushing me away. In fact..." Seiya lowered her voice, knowing she was asking for trouble. "I'd say she was enjoying herself more than I was..."

Her words hit a raw nerve. His fist balled at his side. What hurt the most was that he knew she was right. He saw.

"Listen, I'll forgive you for whatever you've done to her here," Tuxedo Mask managed, "but she's my girlfriend and my future. You'd back off if you knew what's best for you."

"So you want me to give up on her?"

"See? What were you talking about? You can read me perfectly."

"I don't know, I think it should be up to Bun Head who she decides to be with. Shouldn't she get some say in this decision?"

Tuxedo Mask smirked. He thought back to everything he and Usagi had been through together. From the past, present, and future, the time she'd spent with Seiya was only a fraction of the time she'd spent with him. There'd be no question who she'd choose.

"Sounds fair enough," he said.

"Glad we came to an agreement." Seiya glanced over her shoulder again. It was making her nervous. What was taking them so long? What could they possibly be talking about that was so important they couldn't wait for Sailor Moon's return to tell her?

Behind his mask, he stole a glance at the Starlight when she wasn't looking.

"So you three really are women, huh?" Although he never personally knew the Starlights, he'd become familiar with them after they had left. The radio still played their music and posters of the Three Lights were plastered throughout Tokyo. Of course they'd slowly faded out like any other band, but after seeing her as a boy in pictures, it was strange looking at her in person as a woman.

"Yeah. Disguising ourselves as men was more suiting when we were looking for our Princess. But this is my true form. Same for Taiki and Yaten."

"Well that's a relief..." he muttered. He didn't think Seiya had heard it, but she did.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. It's just...I'm sure Usako still thinks of you as a man, that's all."

Seiya folded her arms in front of her chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tuxedo Mask chuckled in an are-you-kidding-me type of way. "Well...Usako isn't like that. She's the type who needs a man. She'll come to realize that."

Seiya was appalled. Her mouth popped open, eyes enlarged with disbelief. "Excuse me? Are you implying that I can't be with Bun Head because I'm a girl?"

"Well, I was just-"

Flames of fury were practically rolling off her body. Seiya always had a quick temper, especially when it came to things like this. "How low! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

"Hey now, wait a minute-"

Seiya took a step towards him. "I'll have you know that Bun Head loves me. And she loves me for who I am. As a man and as a woman, it didn't matter to her. If you think her feelings for me stopped when she found out our identities, you're wrong."

Shaking his head, Tuxedo Mask just chuckled.

Seiya placed her hands on her hips. "What's so damn funny?"

A breeze fluttered, disheveling his bangs under the top hat. "You don't understand," Tuxedo Mask replied. "Usako has a big heart and can love almost anyone. Even so, she hasn't been herself lately, so don't take anything you two have done here seriously. Coming here was a mistake that we're going to fix now. Not to mention you don't know the half of it. I doubt Usako's told you anything about us and our future. You need to do the right thing and back off. Please."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Tuxedo Mask asked incredulously.

Seiya didn't falter. "I won't give up on her. Not now, not ever. She's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me and I won't lose her again." Her voice and expression softened. "Listen Mamoru, I know how selfish that sounds, but it's true. I can't make her choose me, but I'm not going to back down until she tells me it's over. All I want is Bun Head to be happy."

"If that's truly what you want for her, you'd stop this nonsense and let us be. You have no idea how big this picture is. And I love her more."

"Are you sure about that?" Seiya asked. She knew she was crossing so many lines, but she was past the point of caring. "Because from what I've heard, your relationship with her was far from perfect. Sugarcoat it anyway you like, but ignoring her and pushing her away is a funny way of showing your affection if you love her as much as you say you do. And those are her words, not mine."

Tuxedo Mask struggled to keep his voice down. "You...don't know anything. I love Usako with all of my heart."

"Do you?"

"Of course I do!" he spat. "And she's told me multiple times how she feels about me."

"I wouldn't doubt that. But hearts are bound to change and she is no exception. Regardless of what past you two have had, you have to realize she's only human and capable of loving other people."

"Is that so? You think she's going to throw away our destiny?"

"Destiny is something you create yourself. She should be allowed to find her own happiness and fall in love on her own terms. Everyone deserves that chance. That's how life is supposed to play out."

"What're you saying?"

"What I'm saying is..." Seiya chose her words carefully. "Maybe you should consider the idea that I'm better for her than you are."

Tuxedo Mask scoffed. He pressed his gloved fingers between his brows and massaged as if he had a headache. "I don't even know why I'm getting so worked up over this," he grumbled. "As soon as Usako knows what's going on, nothing else will matter. All this back and forth with you is pointless. I'll be her only choice."

Seiya frowned. "What are you talking about?"

As if on cue, Usagi screamed. High-pitched and raw, it echoed throughout the trees.

Seiya whipped in a blur. "Bun Head!" she cried. She tore off in the direction of her wail, leaving an expressionless masked man standing alone.

Seiya sprinted towards the fountain. She held the bottom of her dress up as she ran, heels digging into the grass. A second later, she burst into the scene.

Usagi was sunken to her knees in a pile by the fountain. Her arms were wrapped around her middle, head tucked down to her chest as she cried. Pluto stood nearby silently.

"Bun Head!" Seiya raced over to her. Kneeling beside the blonde, she gently touched her shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong? What happened?" she asked.

Usagi was shaking. She was so petrified, it didn't seem like she even knew Seiya was at her side. It looked like she was having a panic attack.

Seiya shot a look at the taller guardian. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"I told her the truth," Pluto said in her composed voice.

The Starlight's face contorted with confusion. "The truth?" Her gaze snapped back to Usagi. She tried to comfort her.

"Bun Head, I'm right here," Seiya coaxed. "What did she say? Did she hurt you? Please talk to me. I don't understand what's going on."

"S...Seiya?" Usagi realized who was at her side and looked up. Her eyes were stained with messy tears. "Oh Seiya..." she flung herself at the Starlight, wrapping her arms around her midsection. She sobbed into her chest.

Hot tears dripped onto the skin of her neck. Seiya held her close, rubbing her hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. "Shh, it's okay..."

"Seiya...Chibi-Usa...Chibi-Usa's going to..." Usagi broke down again, bawling harder. Her fists clung onto Seiya's shoulders as they sat in the grass. She was squeezing her so tight it hurt, but it was the least of Seiya's worries.

"Chibi-Usa?" Seiya repeated. "Bun Head, I don't understand what you're talking about. Who is that? What's going to happen?"

Pluto stepped forward. "Small Lady is-"

"No!" Usagi objected. She stared wildly with fearful blue eyes over Seiya's shoulder. "Don't say it-"

"Our daughter." The male's words were sharp knives. Tuxedo Mask emerged into the clearing.

Usagi cringed and recoiled.

The Starlight stared at him blankly. Everyone seemed to be waiting for her reaction, but she wasn't sure what it should be.

"What are you talking about? Bun Head doesn't have a-" When her gaze met Usagi's, she tensed. The look on the moon princess's face said it all.

Seiya felt dizzy. Her mind was spinning so fast, and her stomach churned. "Bun Head...is this true? You have a daughter with..." She gulped. "Mamoru?" The words even tasted bad, like sour milk.

The pain on the Starlight's face crushed her. Usagi felt too guilty to look her in the eyes.

"Yes," she whispered quietly. "I do, Seiya."