~Wavering Destiny~
by Strawberry Moon Rose

Yaten is one of my favorite characters. She's far from perfect, I love her for that.

Enjoy :)

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

Chapter 40: Opening of the Yellow Rose

Usagi knocked three times on Yaten's door.

There was always something about Yaten that made her feel self-conscious. She crossed her fingers that the Starlight wouldn't be too grumpy to find she had a visitor.

Lightning flared in through a window above her. Usagi bit her lip and hugged her midsection tightly. It wasn't lightning she feared, but the horrid sounds that followed.

POW!

Usagi screamed. She couldn't help it, it just slipped out.

A hand suddenly came down over her mouth, deadening the sound.

"Shh! Be quiet, would you? Sheesh..." Yaten dropped her hand from Usagi's mouth and wiped it on the side of her pajamas in disgust.

"S-sorry." Usagi was startled to see her there, she hadn't even heard the door open. Her heart was booming like crazy, adrenaline pumping vigorously through her veins.

Yaten crossed her arms. "What're you doing here? I thought you went with Seiya."

"No. I...um...wanted to talk to you."

Yaten stared at her blankly. "Me?" she repeated.

Usagi nodded.

She stared at her for a few seconds longer, as if the blonde's expression would give something away. Finding nothing, Yaten sighed and stepped aside, letting her in. "Make it quick."

"Thanks." Usagi entered. The scent of lilacs hung in the cool air. It smelt so nice, Usagi breathed in three large gulps, filling her lungs with the sweet fragrance.

Only the lamps along the walls were on, offering warm, bursts of light. They looked like stars in a velvet sky. It reminded her of Hotaru's bedroom.

Throughout the shadows, she made out a large, unmade bed. She saw an outline of a dresser and an elaborate vintage vanity with cosmetics strewed across the top in organized chaos.

Yaten pulled the door shut behind her. She walked around and stood before her, making it clear Usagi wasn't allowed to come in any further.

"What do you want?"

Usagi let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, you know, just dropping by..."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

A sweat drop eased down the back of Usagi's head. She noticed Yaten was wearing pajamas too. It made her feel more comfortable that they were in similar apparel, as if it somehow brought them to the same level.

The Starlight wore a loose button-up top and silky bottoms. Gold embroidered the sleeves and sparkled like sunshine when she placed her dainty hands on her hips. Her petite figure seemed to swim in everything she wore. Even at a bedtime, her silver hair was glossy and neat, not a hair out of place.

"I haven't got all night, you know," Yaten hinted, tapping her foot.

"Oh, right! Sorry. Um..." Her voice dropped to a whisper.. "I'm sorry!" she blurted out, bowing her head and clasping her palms together in an apologetic gesture.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry."

"No, I heard you the first time. I just mean, what? Like what're you sorry for?"

"Oh." She laughed uneasily. When Yaten didn't join her, she collected herself and cut to the chase. "I'm sorry for... well, everything. For showing up on your home out of the blue, ruining the party, and for getting you guys involved in my mess of a future. I know I can't say anything to fix it, but I just want you to know I'm sorry for it all and I hope you're not upset with me."

"I'm not," Yaten replied flatly. Flatter than an open bottle of soda that had been sitting around for three hours untouched.

Usagi didn't believe her. The look she'd given them before storming off to her bedroom a couple minutes ago told her otherwise.

She recalled the moment when Yaten had gotten up onstage during the party and kissed Minako in front of everyone to prove she didn't care what anyone else thought. That wasn't the bitter, unapproachable person she knew a year ago. Yaten had changed a lot since then, for the better.

But the girl standing before her now was the same girl Usagi had tentatively approached to deliver a love letter to; disconnected and short-tempered. She had a hunch that the absence of a bubbly blonde had something to do with why she'd regressed.

"You have the right to be mad. I would be too. Because of me, you and Minako are apart."

A light blush turned the fair, flawless skin of her cheeks a shade of scarlet. Yaten's gaze broke away and she focused on the carpet.

"Minako hasn't been taking it very well either," Usagi offered softly. "She really misses you, Yaten."

This caught her attention. "She does?" she asked, her smooth voice cracking with doubt.

"Of course she does! When I stayed at her house, she fell asleep every night listening to one of the Three Light's CD's. You never left her mind."

Yaten shifted her weight to the side and brushed a strand of hair back that was already in place. "So? Why are you telling me this? How's that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I... I don't know. I just know how much she's hurting so I wanted to make sure you were doing okay too. Seiya said you've been kind of quiet lately."

Yaten didn't reply. She stared off into the darkness of her bedroom where the warm light from the lamps didn't reach.

In the distance, thunder sounded steadily. The wind shifted and the rain hammered against the glass windows like tiny pebbles.

Usagi held her breath and tried her best to ignore the blustering storm. One of Yaten's windows was open just a crack, fluttering the violet curtains with gusts of wind. The smell of rain drifted across the room, sweet and clean. She could almost taste the cool freshness popping on her tongue.

Seiya wasn't here to soothe her, and she doubted Yaten was going to offer her any comfort. She'd have to endure the thunder for a little bit longer.

Usagi took another step towards the short girl, now an arm's length away. "I want you to trust me, Yaten," she whispered. She could hear the desperation thick in her voice, but she didn't care. "You can tell me anything. You Starlights are important to me, and I want us to be able to understand each other."

Usagi sucked in a sharp breath of air. "We're...friends, aren't we?" she asked meekly.

Yaten looked her in the eyes. Two big, blue pools of innocence, filled with both hope and uncertainty, gazed back at her.

She flashed back to the battle against Galaxia. The five of them, including Sailor Chibi Chibi Moon, were gathered behind some rubble after Uranus and Neptune had died. Sailor Moon was devastated over losing the others and hadn't wanted to go on. Fighter had been there for her, feeding her encouraging words.

'Fighter... Healer... Maker... Are we friends?' Eternal Sailor Moon had asked. Each one of them had responded yes. They believed in her and she knew their words were true. They then rose as one to face the powerful enemy, together.

So why was Usagi standing before her asking those questions again?

Yaten closed her eyes and sighed, a small smile playing on her lips. "Idiot," she muttered. "Of course we're friends, Usagi."

The name sounded foreign on her tongue, like it was a different language. She didn't know if she'd ever referred to her as anything other than "Sailor Moon" or "that girl" when harping on Seiya. Maybe that was why she was asking where they stood.

"Really?"

Yaten nodded. "And I'm not mad, believe it or not. I may have been the night after you guys left, but that was because I didn't know what was going on. You and Seiya were both acting weird. And then Mina came up to me and made it sound like we couldn't see you guys ever again. I just wanted answers, I guess. Seiya never told us anything. It made me so angry at her. But I knew you didn't want to go."

Usagi hung onto every word. She could see her opening up like a rose, stubbornly though, petal by petal, but opening up nonetheless.

Yaten smiled a little, in a distant, sad way. "But now that you've told us everything, I get it and can't be frustrated anymore. I suppose I am pretty shaken up about this whole thing. I'm worried for Seiya if it ends badly. She's like a sister to me, you know? Seeing you together like just a few minutes ago makes me feel uneasy. She didn't take it very well after we returned last year, as you probably know. I don't want to see her like that again, it put strain on all of us and our duties."

Usagi hung her head and nodded, chewing on her lip as she tried not to recall how close Seiya had been to tears when she saw her for the first time on Kinmoku outside the palace. She hated herself for being the cause of that pain.

Yaten watched her carefully and curiously. "Tell me, Usagi. How much do you care about Seiya? Really, I mean." Her smoky voice dropped low and serious. "It's just...all this time she's loved you."

"I love her, Yaten. I always have. I'm sorry it took me so long to admit it to myself."

"So you're serious about wanting a future with her?"

"Yes."

Yaten smiled as if she couldn't help herself. "That's what I wanted to hear," she murmured.

"Huh?"

"I guess it's too late to go back now, no matter what me or anyone else thinks about it. I'll admit, I didn't like you at first. Because of you, Seiya got distracted from our mission and wound up getting hurt trying to see you all the time." Yaten's expression softened. "But you bring out a side of her that nobody else does, and I guess if she's going to fall in love with someone from the other side of the galaxy, I'm glad it's you, Usagi."

Usagi just looked at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. Her brain was working slowly letting the meaning of her words sink in. "Do you mean that you're okay with us...?" Her high-pitched voice rose even more with eager hope.

Yaten smiled shyly, a look that would have put hearts in Luna's eyes all over again if she was there, and shrugged her slender shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal.

Usagi's face lit up like a sparkler. She threw her arms around the Starlight, suffocating her in a hug.

Shocked, Yaten went stiff as a board. Slowly and awkwardly though, she raised her hands and patted Usagi's back; the closest thing she'd ever give to a hug to anyone other than Minako.

When Usagi pulled away, she was still grinning like a fool. "Thank you so much, Yaten."

Yaten looked embarrassed. She picked an imaginary piece of lint off the sleeve of her silky pajamas to avoid Usagi's eyes. "Yeah, well, ever since you guys came back here, Seiya's been herself again. If you can do that to her, then I suppose I can't object. And even though you've gotten all of us in this mess of yours, I guess the least I can do since you brought Mina and me together is be there for you and Seiya."

"Thank you. And, um, one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry for not bringing Minako with me this time. I should have."

Yaten's green eyes were a dancing flame of a burning candle. Over the sound of heavy rainfall outside, she whispered almost inaudibly, "I wish you would have too."

KUH-POW!

It was quiet for a while as the thunder crackled out like static electricity.

She couldn't believe Yaten was on their side. It was almost as shocking as when Rei had found out and promised to be there for them no matter what. She was overjoyed Yaten had changed in the last year and wasn't set on tearing them apart like she and Taiki had worked so hard to do before on Earth.

As for the tallest Starlight, Usagi had no clue where she stood regarding her and Seiya's relationship. Taiki had too good of a poker face to read her emotions behind those framed glasses of hers. She reminded her of Setsuna in that way; both intellectual and mysterious elder figures.

But the longing look the chestnut-brunette had given them in the hallway before she'd left made it appear that she had a fairly neutral opinion, or she would have said otherwise. Usagi wondered why. It wasn't like she had a lover from Earth like Seiya and Yaten did... Right?

"So... We're good then?" Usagi asked. "You don't have a grudge against me anymore?"

Yaten smiled and shook her head. "No. You're okay," she replied.

Okay? Coming from Yaten, that was a good thing.

Usagi beamed. She spun on her heels towards the door. Stepping around her, Yaten grabbed the handle and pulled it open for her, a chivalrous gesture that surprised both of them the second she did it.

"Oh! And one more thing." Usagi stepped out into the dark hallway and faced her. The short Starlight leaned against the doorway, lazily.

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"I was supposed to tell you this the first time we came to Kinmoku, but it slipped my mind..."

Yaten scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Imagine that."

Usagi ignored her jab. "Anyways," she continued, "Luna told me to tell you hi."

At the mention of the purple-black cat with a crescent-shaped bald spot, Yaten's expression instantly softened. Her eyebrows relaxed and her pink lips curled up at the corners. Even her round eyes seemed to smile.

"Well, when you see her again, tell her I said hi too," Yaten said kindly.

Usagi smiled. "I'll do that."