*Starlight's are all female, but I will be writing them as they were portrayed in the 90s anime so they can use magic to hide their true gender

As well I am writing Fighter/Seiya as transgender

If that makes you uncomfortable, then you should spot reading at this point.*

Chapter 2: Not the same

Kinmoku

High heels echoed loudly in the long marble halls of the castle as she made her way back to her quarters to rest. The walk was long and the halls were empty, but Fighter like it. It gave her time away from everyone, everything and to allow herself to think. With supervising the reconstruction of Kinmoku and training every day, it left Fighter muscles aching by the time she was relived of her duties and little time to for anything else. Ever since Galaxia was restored to her original state and all the star seeds were restored to the people of their planet, Fighter, Maker and Healer were treated almost at the same rank as Kakyuu whom was now crowned queen on their home planet, which was an uncommon practice for sailor senshi who served under royalty, especially for shooting stars. But the people of their planet were so grateful of being revived that they treated the starlights like duchesses to their rulers. Maker was indifferent to the new title bestowed upon her and continued to live her life as she did before, Healer acted like she hated the attention, but Fighter could tell she loved every second of it with her hidden smile. Then, there was Fighter. She got a feeling of adrenaline whenever people of Kinmoku bowed to her or used any sort of royal title. Not the same type of adrenaline she would get from fighting or working out, but something that still caused her heart to beat harder than it should and for her trademark smirk to creep to the surface of her lips. But something about this attention was different than what she experienced before. Even though she enjoyed it when she was surrounded by the people and her excitement matched theirs, once they were gone and the adrenaline faded, she felt alone and sad. She never felt like this before. She never felt like this when she was pretending to be a teen idol on earth, and that far different than anything the Kimnoku court does now.

What the hell had changed in the short time?

Once fighter reached her room she quickly closed and locked the doors behind her before sinking to the floor, resting her head on her knees. Today should have been no different from any other day back home. Training with her fellow stars, reconstruction of her world, being at Kaykuu's side while she talked to the nobles and the common people alike to see what still needed to be done and how to reestablish communication with other planets in their system. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except for what day it was. Today was the day Fighter, Maker, Healer and Kaykuu left earth. Left what they build there and returned back to a place they once called home. The day Seiya Kou died.

God, how she missed being Seiya Kou! She missed the freedom that came along with being him. Going to school, writing songs, performing for a crowd of thousands a screaming and adoring fans. Even thought her mission was always to find and save her princess, that time as Seiya was probably the best time of her life. And if Fighter was completely honest with herself, if given the chance, she would go back to being Seiya in a heartbeat, without a second thought. The thought was crazy, and yet it was what she wanted. Why did she want it?

Looking up to her door, she made sure that it was locked before she stood up and walked over to her mirror that allowed her to see her full image. She touched her brooch that sat at her chest and closed her eyes and allowed magic to consume her. When fighter opened her eyes, it was not fighter who was looking back at her, it was Seiya Kou. A smile spread across his lips as he looked up and down at his reflection.

"God, I missed this," he whispered to the air, knowing that no one would hear him as he smoothed out the wrinkles in his red suit. This wasn't the first time Fighter changed back into Seiya since coming back. Whenever She found a moment alone without any interruptions from others or her duty, she would become him and for a few minutes if she was lucky, live her secret. Not even Maker and Healer knew this. If they did, Healer would probably laugh and ask what the hell she was doing. Maker would look at him with her eyes bordering into hers and asked him why she was Seiya again? Those were the question neither Seiya or Fighter knew how to answer or even wanted to. It not like being Fighter was bad, she loved that she was Sailor Star Fighter, but it would be wrong to deny that she also loved life as Seiya. So, for now, this was a secret.

He walked over to a desk that was on the far side of the room and opened the top draw, moving the contents inside to the sides. Carefully, he opened a small secret compartment hidden at the back of the drawer and removes a photo. It was stained and wrinkled. Needless to say, this photograph has been loved. The image was Seiya in a black and yellow striped shirt, red baseball cap and earth jeans. And next to him, was a beautiful young woman, with blonde hair that glowed in the sun and moon, an innocent smile and lit up her entire face and expressive eyes that could never hide what she was feeling. This girl was Usagi Tsukino. The girl who stole Seiya's and Fighters heart

"Seiya, you foolish baka," he whispered to himself as a smile creeped onto his lips as he looks at the old photo. This girl, no this woman caused so much chaos with both Seiya and fighter. At first it was just because she was very similar to Kaykuu in essence, so it made perfect sense to keep an eye on her, in case she could lead then to their princess. But the more time Seiya spend with her, the more he was drawn to her in a way he couldn't put into words. It was confusing, unnerving and a little bit scary. But even with all that, when he was with her, she made him feel like time stood still, like the world melts away and it was just the two of them. And above all, being with her, made Seiya and fighter happier than they had ever felt before. The emotion was love. Not the same love they had for his princess or for their friends. But something new, raw, and unexplainable. The love that makes people write ballads in operas or go do something stupid to see her smile. Seiya, and Fighter, loved Usagi Tsukino, also known as Sailor Moon. The princess who saved them all.

That photo was taken over a year ago. They all left earth to return to Kinmoku just about a year ago, but the memory of that day was clear in Seiya's memory.

He had just escaped a small mob of Three Light's fans that spotted and followed him all the way to Amishiro Park. It was a miracle he was even able to evade them with how long they chased him while screaming his name and proclaiming their undying love.

"I will admit, our fanbase is a dedicated bunch," he thought to himself as he ran away from the "adoring" three lights fans. Quickly as he could, he ducked behind a thick tree quickly while the mob ran past him, thinking they were still on his tail. He remained there, still as a statue for a good minute before finally looking out from the tree to check if he was safe. The sidewalk was clear of screaming teenage girls.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he jumped from his hiding spot, only to run into a small figure, trip over their feet, and come crashing down ungracefully onto the concrete below. A painful moan came out of his mouth as his body recovered from the hard thud to the ground.

"Oh God! Gomen-nasai! I didn't see where I was walking! I didn't mean to hurt you and…Seiya_kun?" the voice asked him as he turned to look at the figure to be greeted with the sight of Usagi also sitting on the ground with a slight red mark on her forehead, her hair slightly disarray and her eyes wide an innocent.

"Odango?" Seiya asked surprised, but quickly turned flirty at this perfect opportunity. "I always knew I would knock you off your feet one day."

"WHAT!? You did no such thing!" Usagi quickly responded angrily, causing her entire face to blush with embarrassment. This reaction is why Seiya loved flirting with her. No matter what he said, it always caused Usagi's cheeks to go red like a rose. It was such a lovely colour on her in his opinion. The banter as well was just too much fun to stop. She was always so defensive when he flirted, naturally making him flirt even more.

"If you insist, but I know the truth," he flirted again and gave her a quick wink, causing her to turn a deeper red, before looking away in a huff. With a laugh, Seiya picked himself off the ground then offered Usagi a hand back to her feet. Dusting off the dirt on his clothes, he finally decided to stop flirting to check if she was actually hurt from their run in. "Are you okay though? We did fall hard."

"Yea I am fine, but my poor ice cream didn't make it!" Usagi said with tears in her eyes as she looked down at the broken ice crem cone that laid melting away in the hot sun.

"Don't worry your pretty little head off Odango. Because I am such a gentleman, how about I get ya a new one as an apology." He asked her as he pulled a pair of shades from his pocket and put them on

"Really? Arigato Seiya!" Usagi beamed, her tears all but forgotten as she grabbed his arm and lead him to the small ice cream vender by the park gate. Her smiled caused his heart to beat faster in his chest and his skin seems to grow hot under the touch of her hand. Maybe he hit the ground harder than he realized. Once her new ice cream was paid for, he also got one for himself as they walked through the quiet park as he explained why he jumped out from the tree before.

"Does that bother you that people do that? I can't even imagine not being able to go to the café with friends without people following me like that." Usagi asked in between licks of ice cream.

"This doesn't happen as often as you think it does. The majority of the time, our fans are respectful of our boundaries and stuff. It's the price you pay to be as awesome as we are." Seiya said with a slight tease in his voice, earning him a look from his friend.

"Even so, people should treat you kindly and not chase after you like a pack of hungry dogs looking for a meal." Usagi rebutted with a concerned look

"Honestly Odango, I don't care what they think at the end of the day. As long as the ones I care for see me as me, that's all that matters." He said to her, dropping any type of humor from his voice and admitting a truth to her he didn't realize was true. It caused Usagi to stop walking and look at him and blush.

"I see you as you. I just want you to be happy." Usagi told him softly. Seiya took a step close and gave her a smile, not a flirty smirk, but a genuine smile.

"Then I am as happy as I can be." He told her in absolute honestly.

FLASH!

The flash of a light causes both Seiya and Usagi to break from the comfortable moment they created between themselves and step back in confusion. Seiya quickly turned to the flash and was ready to scream at whatever paparazzi had found them, only to be shocked to see a man in his late teens, early twenties with an old polaroid camera. If he was paparazzi, then he's clearly new to the game.

"Oh gomen nasai." The boy said with an awkward smile. "I didn't mean to interrupt you two, but you guys looked so photogenic right then with the right amount of light, I just had to take a photo. I'm a photography major of Keio University, first year." The boys shyly said as he bowed. This knowledge allows Seiya to relax and smile at the guy. This guy seems very dedicated in his craft, so there was no reason to get upset

"It's all good. Hope it looks as good as you claim it." Seiya told him, back in his relaxed mood.

the young man took the photo and fanned it in his hand before taking a good look at it and brightly smiled. "It looked wonderful. You two look so casual and relax. You can't get a photo like this in a studio with all those lights and make up. This is real. This is pure," he told them as he showed them his photo.

He was right. It was a good photo. Usagi made a happy sound, signifying that she was also happy with what he captured. Both were facing each other with a soft breeze gently pushing their hair away from them. The sun highlighting his cheek bones and her nose. It was an intimate moment capture in time.

"Wow! We look so cool! You're so talented!" Usagi gushed at the man, causing him to laugh and blush with embarrassment at her excitement.

"If it's okay with you and your boyfriend, I would like to use this photo as part of my portfolio to show my work to future clients." The man asked Usagi, causing her to give him a weird look.

"Nani? He's not my…"

"Of course it okay with us. But if you don't mind, can we also get you to take another photo of us to keep?" Seiya butted in, cutting off Usagi from stating the truth that Seiya was far too aware of.

"Not a problem. Let me just check to see if I have enough film left." The man said as he turned to walked into the light to check his camera. While he was distracted, Usagi grabbed a handful of Seiya's shirt and pulled him close to her so they could argue with whispers.

"Seiya. What are you doing telling this man you're my boyfriend? That title belongs to Mamo-chan," she hissed at him in a low angry tone.

"I think you are the only girl in japan who would be angry at me for saying that," he teased her again, making her red in the face and making him snicker. He gave her a gentle smile and once again, went genuine. "Relax Odango. I just want a picture of us. I won't force you to take it if you're not comfortable with it. Say the word and I'll tell him we changed our mind.

He waited for the disappointment of her to tell him she didn't want a photo with him. But instead she calmed down and her face went soft again, looking at his with her beautiful innocent eyes. He wished he could spend hours just looking at them. Slowly she gave him a small smirk and nodded her head causing his heart to once again race and jump all around in his chest.

"Okay. We can have one photo." She said to him.

"You know how to make a guy happy," he told her as he waved over the photographer to tell him they were ready. Usagi linked her arm with his and posed with a sweet smile for the photographer. Seiya removed his glasses and placed them in his back pocket before giving the guy one of the realists smiles he had since coming to earth. When the flash went off, one of Seiya's favourite moments has been saved from time thanks to this guy. The photographer took the photo from his camera and aired it out like the last one before handed it to Seiya and Usagi to look at. Once again, both were very happy with how it turned out.

"I must be off. Hope you two have a good day." The photographer called to them as he rushed off in the location of the university. Both were still admiring the photo and how well he captured the both of them.

"That guy and his photography are going places in the future. I can feel his star shine with this photo." Seiya mentioned to Usagi as he stared at her in the photograph, hoping she didn't notice. Suddenly, he felt her hand pushing the photo closer to him. He looked up and saw Usagi smiling at him.

"You can keep this Seiya." She said softly to him.

"Are you sure? I'm sure we can find someone to photocopy it for both of us" he offered but she shook her head.

"It's okay. I'm know we can get more photo in the future. Besides," she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled a small pink bear on a key chain. "Now we are even."

Seiya's eyes widen. She still had that cheap little key chain bear he won back when he took her on a date (though she still denies that it was one) Suddenly a laugh escaped Seiya's lips as he smiled at the petite blond. The fact she kept it meant so much to him. It shows she cared for the friendship they had between them. Something so small but meaning so much.

"Okay. We're even." He told her softly.

"I have to go now. Gotta go pick up Chibi Chibi up from daycare. Jā matane!" she called to him, still happily eating her ice cream as she walked to the exit of the park.

Seiya stood there for a while longer, looking down at the photograph longingly. While the one the boy took before what beautiful in its own right, Seiya thought this one was even better. Was it because they were aware of the photo actually happening? Probably, but in his personal opinion, it was all thanks to that beautiful smile on her face that makes everyone around her, himself included, smile along with her. And she allowed him to keep it. All for himself.

The photo now had lost is glossy perfection the side began to crease, and the white outline as turned beige with time. It didn't help that after that beautiful moment, an enemy attacked that poor photographer kid and tried to steal his star seed. Fortunately, he quickly changed to Fighter and she was able to stop the phage photographer from hurting anyone until Sailor Moon, was able to heal the boy back to himself. Oh well, even the best memory isn't perfect.

Suddenly a knock at the door and the doorknob fidgeting broke Seiya out that happy oblivious and panic gripped him entirely. No one could see him as Seiya. He quickly put the photo back into his drawer and slapped it shut with such a force it caused the desk to rattle. He then reached for his tie, somehow was able to undo it in one go before throwing it across the room in a state of panic, he stopped and realized something.

"Wait, I'm a senshi, I got magic." The common sense finally kicking in. Feeling rather embarrassed, he was thankful he was alone and locked the door. "Fighter Star Power Make Up!" he whispered. The heat inside his chest to consume his body until he was back into her original form as Fighter.

"Fighter? What's going on in there?" a deep voice called to him. It was Maker

"Is everything okay?" asked another higher voice. Healer.

Fighter took a deep breath to calm her nerves and calming walked over to the door, unlocked it and opened it for her fellow scouts.

"Everything is fine. Why?" she asked them, hoping she was coming off as nonchalant as she allowed them to walk into her room.

"You were quick to leave the council meeting today. Kaykuu took notice." Maker informed her and she gracefully walked into Fighters room took a seat on the edge of her bed.

"Can you blame me? Today is was just many of the nobles complaining about how small their new land is." Fighter countered back with a roll of her eyes. Royalty has many perks, but she hopes to never become as vain as some of the nobles are.

"They were being unnecessarily annoying, but we still need to listen to them and not be rude. Kaykuu needs their support as the new queen." Healer said with a side eye to Fighter.

"Oh please! Kaykuu is perfectly fine. After everything that happened, no one would ever dream of turning against her." Fighter shot back to Healer.

"Rude is still rude baka. It reflects badly on Kaykuu." Healer stated as she took a step forwards fighter getting annoyed.

"Oh right. Like you're the queen of correct court etiquette. Don't act like you don't roll your eyes at some of them with their stupid request!" Fighter snapped stepping towards healer.

"Fighter," called Maker as she looked at the side of the bed.

"At least I'm subtle enough to not let them notice. You on the other hand couldn't be subtle even if you were invisible!" argued Healer

"Fighter," Maker tried again.

"Oh! Well at least I'm not- "

"Fighter!" Maker said calmly but loud enough to interrupt her and Healer's argument and gain both their attention to the tallest senshi who, in her slender hand, held a yellow silk tie. Fighter felt the blood drain from her face. The questions that she wasn't ready for were now about to be asked.

"Wait, isn't that the tie you used when we pretend to be men on earth?" Healer asked confused as she walked over and reached out to touch the tie. Before Fighter even knew what she did, she snatched the tie away and she gripped it tightly in her hands, holding it protectively to her chest. Her hands stook slightly when she looked down at the article of clothing. Looking back at them, she was expecting them to mock or chastise her. But to her surprise, their eyes were soft, sympathetic and above all, confused.

"Fighter. Take a beath. There is no need to be afraid," Maker said kindly to Fighter as she stood up.

"Why are you afraid ?" Healer asked gently and genuinely confused, their pervious fight and anger completely forgotten

"I….I…" started Fighter, but no words would come to her. How could she explain to them something she didn't even understand? Maybe she could make up an excuse, saying she found it among her belongings. Suddenly a knock at the door broke Fighter from her panic state and she quickly walked to the door and opened it to see one of Kaykuu's ladies in waiting looking back at her. She dipped into a curtsey.

"Her majesty wishes to see all her starlight's immediately." The young girl said as she turned and walked back.

"Looks like were being summoned." Fighter said weakly, knowing it was a pretty pathetic excuse to stop this awkward conversation from happening. Maker and Healer look at one another, almost in a silent conversation, before nodding and making their way passed Fighter to see their queen. But Maker stopped in front of Fighter just as Healer was out of ear shot.

"I don't know what's going on, but whenever you're ready to discuss it, Healer and I will be there for you. You know that right?" Maker asked her friend. It was so small, but those words filled Fighter with a sense of calm and relief.

"You're right. Thank you." Fighter sincerely told her with a weak but real smile. She followed behind Maker as they walked to their queen. Even if she doesn't understand everything herself, it's comforts her that the two who have been with her through thick and thin will be there still for her, no matter what. Before leaving her room, she looked down at her hands at the silk tie still intertwined in her fingers. She quickly walked to her desk and laid it gently against the smooth wooden surface. Though she still wasn't ready to discuss Seiya with her friends just yet. She knew when she was, it could trust them to truly listen to her. To him. To them.