Cross My Heart
Author: Sea of Hazel
Disclaimer: The word 'disclaimer' alone should've given you a hint ^^. I
am 'dis-claiming' Sailor Moon.
AN: Yay! Seiya's finally here and they're finally adults! And it
only took seven chapters -_-. Like it so far? Well, additional notes
are at the bottom (don't forget to read, minna!), as always, so on
with the story!
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Chapter Eight: Light of Hope
"It's been a while, Seiya..."
Seiya smiled. It certainly had been a while, he thought, just over
eleven years... and yet the queen had not changed in the least. She
was still beautiful, still elegant, and still appearing to be not a
day over thirty.
Seiya, on the other hand, had changed drasticly. In fact, had she not
seen his eyes, she would never have guessed it was him. They were as
fathomless and deep as she remembered them to be, but unlike the child
she knew from so long ago, they seemed to be cloaked by an emotionless
mask... even the soft smile he wore had never reached his eyes.
He was strong now, no longer the lanky boy she once knew. Of course,
he was not as much so as the palace's burly virile guards, but enough
to give them the impression. It seemed strange that she was once able
to read him like a book, but now she couldn't even decide if he was
really smiling.
His waist length jet black hair was still pulled back into a ponytail
as he used to wear it all those years ago... and there was no doubt in
her mind that the four boy-crazy inner senshi behind her were swooning
over him and his brothers. The two at his side were equally handsom
and their hair was pulled back into a ponytail as well, one with
bluish-silver hair and mint-green eyes, and the other with brown hair
contrasting bright violet eyes, but they didn't seem to hold the same
air of confidence as the man standing before her. Yes, he was a man
now... and it made her feel dreadfully old.
"And these must be your brothers, then? Yaten and Taiki, if my memory
serves me correct?"
They nodded and she smiled, the same soft smile he remembered from
when he was seven, still innocent in the ways of the war.
"These are my daughter's senshi and the princess' of their own respective
planets... Uranus, Neptune, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury."
The four inners smiled, batting their eyelashes and giggling as though
men were a rare find on their planet. Uranus only scowled.
Seiya. She remembered him... how could she not? He had protected her
princess while they were away, having been given leave by the queen.
But he had been from another galaxy, and because there was a war
erupting within kingdoms, he could therefore not be trusted.
Queen Serenity chuckled, feeling a distinctive but faint power, and
continued, regaining the men and women's attention.
"And it would seem as though you'll be meeting the supreme princess
shortly... she's just escaped."
A broad smile, the first genuine one in years, creased Seiya's lips
and his heart beat anxiously against his chest, longing to see the
girl he had made a promise to all those years ago...
His smile quickly faded.
He despretly wished it had been under different circumstances. He had
always wanted to come just because of her... not because this...
"What?! How-- ooh that girl!" Venus exclaimed, not completely surprised
that she had done such a thing, but angry with her nonetheless.
Uranus smiled, turning to the sea goddess at her side.
"It seems our kitten will be angry with us, ne..."
"That idiot! Does she not realize why we put her there?! Geez, i'm
gonna kill her myself for pulling a stunt like that!"
Yaten stared at Mars increduliously, anger welling up inside him as
he clentched his fists tightly at his sides.
"How can you say that about your princess?! Be lucky you even have her!"
Mars was at a loss for words as she stood there, her mouth slightly
agape as this man yelled at her. Did he really think she would hurt
her princess? The most important person in the universe to her? She
had always teased like this... but no one had ever really taken her
seriously.
"Yaten, calm down..." Taiki whispered from behind him.
The queen momentarily felt the emotions linning these three... such
sadness and regret... and she wondered what could have happened to
change them so. It must have been terrible, to have been able to
transform such a joyful child full of laughter and life into a man
with an emotionless face that nearly made even the unshakable queen
uncomfortable.
Serenity scowled as she marched across the cement, the loud
clacking of her heels speaking in volumes. She was fuming. It had been
surprisingly easy to escape the maids, and she smiled at her cleverness,
silently patting herself on the back. She had persuaded a few maids to
escort her to the chamber's restroom, explaining that she hadn't used
it this morning (after all, she had been practicaly dragged to the
room-- they really never asked if there was something she needed to
do first) where she used a simple spell to transport herself out of
the stall and outside the palace. She knew there was a chance her
mother may have felt it, but it was a small price to pay for her
escape. She wasn't helpless in the least, so she didn't see where
they had gotten the idea that she needed to be sheltered and left in
the dark when it came to her kingdom. She was a women, a full sixteen,
not a child crawling at their skirts.
She growled as she spotted her mother from behind the senshi, igorant
to anyone else, including the three she was speaking with. She knew
she had been expecting her by the way she turned to smile that
all-knowing motherly smile, only serving to fuel her anger.
Seiya turned in the direction the queen's gaze had fallen, and
his eyes widened, crumbling the emotionless guise he had just moments
before. It was her. The person he had waited what seemed
like a lifetime to see... but at the same time, it wasn't her. It
wasn't his little Odango, even if she still wore them... this was a
women, every part of her vouched for that. She was the single most
beautiful thing he had ever seen... a goddess would envy her, much
less a mortal. Her skin was seemingly the color of the moonlight,
contrasting to the deep cerulean eyes fixed on her mother. They held
intellegence and fire, but by the way she was glaring, the later of
the two was more predominate. Her hair, nearly the color of white
diamonds, shifted softly in the breeze as small curls framed her
face... his eyes then traveled to her full rosey lips, and he
yearned to catch them with his own. She had grown into an amazing
body, one he had never imagined for the petite girl he once knew.
He could remember trying to picture what she would look like when
she matured... but never in his wildest dreamest could he have
thought up this. She was, understatedly put... breathtaking.
"Sere! What are you doing out here?!" Jupiter exclaimed, tearing
him away from his thoughts.
The princess now stood before her mother, just within arms reach
of him... yet she never even acknowledged his pressence. Maybe she
had forgotten him after all, he thought dejectedly, casting
his eyes away from her as he released the breath he had absentmindedly
been holding.
"Mother, how could you?! I am not a child and i do not deserve to be
dragged into the maids chambers as if i were one!"
She knew she should still be angry, but she suddenly wasn't in the
least... she was too immersed in a different emotion, something she
couldn't quite grasp but felt as though she should already know. Her
heart was pounding so hard she wouldn't have been surprised if Earth
could hear it... and it had taken effort just to keep her voice from
quivering as she spoke.
"I apologize, Serenity, you are right. But you shouldn't worry your
senshi like that... had it been a real emergency and you were outside
the palace, devastating consequences could have occcured."
She glanced at her senshi and smiled apologetically, to which they
returned the gesture. It was then she realized that there were people
behind her, but she never had to look... she just felt them. That
nagging sensation returned with this new revelation and she had the
sudden urge to run into whosever arms were behind her, aquainted or not.
She slowly turned, her eyes immediatly seeking his. They were beautiful...
familiar. The color of a deep ocean against the night sky. But she
couldn't quite place them, even as her heart, no, her very soul
screamed itself hoarse in a language she could not understand. It
seemed to be begging her to throw her body into his arms and to
never let go, to let their souls become one and their hearts beat
in unison... and in a way she wanted to, but her body was frozen, her
eyes transfixed on his.
The queen smiled as she watched Seiya, his eyes no longer nonchalant
and dull but an unclouded brilliant shade of sapphire. She could see
the child in him through those eyes...
"Serenity, you remember Seiya."
That name. It was that name... the name belonging to the person she
had wanted to see since she was five. Aside from the vague image of
his eyes, it was only memory her mind had allowed her to keep,
soothing her at the mention of it yet tormenting her when she couldn't
see the person it belonged to.
"Sei...ya?" she whispered through parched lips, tears welling up
in her enlarged eyes.
But this was not her Seiya... this was a man. He was not the lean,
lanky boy she so vaguly remembered from her childhood... this man
was strong, tall, and the most handsom man she had ever laid eyes
on. But those eyes... and that ebony hair... they seemed so familair.
"Odango..." he breathed, his eyes never leaving hers.
Odango... her nickname... the only name he had ever called her by.
This must be her Seiya, no one knew of that name. Tears spilled
forth as she gave in to her heart, her soul, and threw herself into
his arms, crying against his chest as she clutched the soft material
of his navy silk shirt. Seiya smiled, holding back his own tears as
he held the one person that could erase all of his sadness, his
grief, his hopelessness, tightly against him.
"You kept your promise..."
"So you didn't believe i would?" he teased as he gently kissed her
shoulder, closing his eyes as he relished the feeling of holding her.
"Never! I never stopped believing... i was always waiting for you..."
He smiled. So she hadn't forgotten him after all...
"Ahem." Yaten said from behind them, inturrupting their little reunion
and effectively ruining the moment.
"SHUT UP!" the inner senshi screamed at the little man, sucessfully
scaring the hell out of him, before returning to their bawling.
Taiki only sighed, pulling a few tissues out of his breast pocket,
to which the girls quickly took and used to its full extent.
The watery haired women wiped away a few stray tears as she grasped
Uranus' arm, sucessfully holding her back from viciously murdering the
man who dared to touch her Kitten.
Serenity and Seiya smiled and reluctantly released eachother, turning
to the queen as she spoke.
"What brings you three here?"
Seiya's eyes immediatly darkened, and from behind him she could see
the other two cast their eyes away... she prayed to God they wouldn't
tell her what she had already guessed long before she had asked that
question.
"Queen Serenity, we must speak with you... it's urgent."
Queen Serenity collapsed to her throne after having cleared
the room of all palace employees to ensure their privacy, smiling
wanly at the men before her.
"Now please, Seiya... what is it?"
He sighed, removing a small mechanism from its case before handing
it to the queen, who then pushed a small button and a hollogram appeared.
"Kakyuu..." she whispered as leaned forward, staring at her dearest friend.
She was pale, weary, and it seemed as though it was taking all of her
strength just to speak.
"Queen Serenity... if you are watching this message, i am dead."
The queen gasped, bringing a shaky hand to her mouth in disbelief as
tears began to cloud her vision.
"I would also assume that my daughter's senshi, Fighter, Healer, and
Maker, are with you. They are the only remaining royalty of our
kingdom... the princess... is also dead..." she paused, choking down
a sob, before regaining her royal posture and continuing.
"The war began not two years after Fighter's departure from the moon,
and we have been fighting ever since. Three years ago my daughter
had sent the five senshi that had been protecting her to aid our
kingdom... each of them died with in the next few years. Fighter,
Healer, and Maker continued to fight from outside the palace as i
protected it from with in... but when they realized there was nothing
left they could do, they returned to protect me. By then my planet
had become a planet of death... bodies and blood littered the earth
as the sky darkened to an accusing red. A few days later, word came
that the kingdom my daughter had been living on had been destoyed,
and she was dead. I gave up after that... but the senshi continued
to hold up my sheild around the palace, even when i protested.
After a week their powers were drained and i was wasting away, so
i've made this message for them to give to you. I ask only one thing
of you, Serenity, please allow my daughter's senshi to protect
your kingdom, and your daughter. She is the light of hope for so
many people... only she can destroy that evil women. Fighter,
Healer, Maker... i am so sorry i gave up, when you were so strong
and continued even in such pain... please, as my last wish and your
final mission, protect princess Serenity. I love you all dearly, so
please, find happiness. Goodbye, my dearest Serenity..."
The image blurred and faded, her last words dieing on her crimson
lips, and a melancholy silence drapped over the emmense room. The
princess turned to Seiya, tears falling from her enlarged watery eyes.
How could this have happened to her best friend? And yet, she hadn't
been there to comfort him and tell him everything would be all right.
She wasn't able to hold him, whispering incoherent nothings as
he cried, the way friends were supposed to. He had been alone.
"Seiya..." she whispered as she crossed over to him, wrapping her arms
around his neck.
He remained motionless, clenching his fists at his side to keep
from holding her... to keep from crying. He was a man. Men didn't
cry... not him at least. Crying was useless, it never solved
anything.
But the way she held him, telling him it was all right and that
she was with him, made him want to give in, to hold her
until all his pain was washed away. And he did. His eyes closed
in defeat as his arms wove their way around her waist and two warm
drops fell to her shoulder, soon to be followed by more.
And he realized, he needed her more than the air he breathed.
"So what makes you think we want you? If you can't even protect
your own princess, what makes you think we want you around ours?"
"Nani?!" Seiya growled as he released her and turned, glaring at
Uranus through his tears.
"Uranus!"
She ignored Neptune, keeping her cold unwavering gaze on Seiya. Her
princess, next to Neptune, was the most imporant person in the
universe to her... and these three senshi, who live a galaxy away
and didn't even succeed in protecting their own princess, wanted to
help protect her kitten? She wouldn't allow it... she was too important
to her to let them risk her safty.
"If you can't even protect your own princess, why come here? Did you think
protecting someone else's would make you feel less guilty?"
"Uranus that's enough!"
Yaten stepped towards her, tears flowing freely down his paled cheeks.
"It was our queen's last wish! And even if it means putting up with you,
we're going to protect this kingdom and its princess!"
She only smirked.
"What makes you think it'll be different this time?"
"Well, first of all we didn't have a bastard like you critizing us!"
Uranus uncrossed her arms, her anger begining to seep through her calm
exterior.
"What did you say?"
"What, are you deaf?"
"ENOUGH!" Serenity screamed, quickly silencing the room.
"How are we going to fight a war if we can't even stop fighting
each other?! Uranus, what you said to them was unforgivable... had
it been me who died and my mother who gave you the order to protect
their princess, you wouldn't have hesistated! I believe we can use
all the help we can get to protect my kingdom, and they're all the
reinforcments available! I trust them... Seiya once saved my life
with no regard for his own... you should be thankful that i'm even
here today. Please, Uranus, please try to get along with them. You're
both so important to me..."
She hesistated, clenching her fists as she glared at Seiya, who
returned the gaze with an equal icyness, before giving into defeat.
How could she deny her kitten her wish? The only thing she had ever
asked of her?
"Fine. I'll do it for you, koneko-chan."
The princess smiled broadly, before shifting her gaze to her mother.
"Starlights, you have my permission to protect my daughter and my
kingdom. You will be sworn in tomorrow afternoon, and if you comply,
you will do so for the rest of your lives as though she were your
own princess and this were your own kindom. Serenity will show you
to your rooms. I am so sorry about your kingdom... you have my deepest
sympathies." the queen said wearily, giving them a weak smile.
"Thank you, your highness."
The three bowed and turned to follow the princess and her senshi
out of the room, leaving the queen to her thoughts.
Those three had been through so much pain and suffering... they
didn't deserve that. No one deserved that. She could only hope her
daughter would be able to free them from their infinite guilt and
regret...
Serenity crept silently through the darkened halls toward
Seiya's chamber, the star-ladden night sky lighting her way from the
palace's large windows. She knocked lightly, careful to avoid waking
any nearby senshi... they could be quite grumpy when their 'beauty
sleep', as Venus had put it, was inturupted. She knew from experience.
The door quickly opened and she was met by a pair of startling sapphire
eyes, gazing back at her with a look of almost suprise... and suddenly,
she was nervous. She quickly tried to shake it, tried to slow the rapid
beating of her heart, after all they were only friends. Why would she
be nervous over a friend? Although, she hadn't seen him since they were
children, and he was quite handsom...
"Odango? What is it?" he asked, his eyebrows creased in worry as he ran
a hand through his tousled ebony hair.
She gulped, her eyes roaming over his musclular chest under
lowered lashes. She itched to brush the silky black hair from his face.
Seiya looked her over, suddenly thankful for the dim lighting or she
would have been able to tell how bad he was blushing. She wore a blanched
purple negligee that reached her ankles, a slit traveling dangerously
high on one side and a neckline that plunged, hugging her shapely curves.
It was held up by extremely thin speghetti straps, exposing much of her
perfect and unblemished ivory skin.
"I..." she began hesitantly.
This was ridiculous! He was her friend, if not her best friend, and
people do not develop crushes on their best friends! She looked him
in the eye resolutly, pushing all thoughts and feelings concerning
him to the back of her mind.
"Nothing really. I just... i just needed to see you. I feel like all
of this is a dream. I am so sorry if i have disturbed you, i know how
late it is... and you were probably sleeping... but i..."
He smiled, and she was thankfull he had interrupted her mindless babble
before she sounded even more like a loon.
"Don't worry about it, Odango... i wasn't asleep." he said, stepping
aside for her to enter the dimly-lit room.
She nervously toyed with her ring as she glanced around the predominatly
gold room, carefull to avoid any eye contact in fear she wouldn't be
able to turn away. Seiya stared at her, a small, barely visable smile
resting on his lips as he watched the lights play across her features,
seeming to her her long ivory tresses into waves of gold. He could
still remember how her hair once looked, before the attack on her
kingdom... golden, just like it was now. And however vague it was,
he could still picture the small girl she had once been.
"Seiya...?" she asked, unknowingly interupting his thoughts.
"Hai?"
"...Do you still remember the promise you made to me... just before
you left?"
He laughed as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, making her
all the more adorable.
"Of course, Odango! Didn't we already cover this?"
"You gave me this, telling me to keep it safe until you returned to
get it... so here. I kept it safe for you." she smiled, pulling the
silver ring off her finger.
"Keep it. It was never the ring i wanted... it was only an excuse to
see you." he winked, provoking a melodious giggle from her, before continuing,
"Besides, it looks better on you anyway."
She smiled one of her amazingly beautiful smiles and thanked him,
returning the precious ring to the finger it had graced for over
eleven years. She then paused and turned to him, her small hands
resting against his chest as she leaned her forehead against him.
"Seiya, you're my best friend... please promise me something."
He wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed the top of her head,
but inwardly winced at the thought of being nothing more than 'best
friends'... though he couldn't understand why it had bothered him.
"Anything you want, Odango."
She looked up, her cerlean eyes pleading with him, begging him.
"Promise me you'll never leave me again... i couldn't stand it. I
missed you horribly... please promise me, Seiya..."
"I promise."
He knew as soon as the words escaped his lips it wasn't a promise he
would be able to keep unconditionally... but he was no match against
those beautiful eyes, he never was. He would give her anything... but
at the risk of her safty, he could never. If a time came that deemed
it absolutly necessary for him to leave, be it to fight or anything
else, he would have no choice. As long as she was safe, nothing mattered.
His life meant nothing without her.
"I'll hold you to that!" she said sternly, leaving no room for an argument.
"I know."
She sighed happily, winding her arms around his waist.
"I'm so glad you're back! I'd almost began to believe you had forgotten
about me."
Forgotten about her? he thought incredulouly, she was the only thing
that kept him alive all those years! Just the thought of her smile,
her laughter, her adorable pout even, made him stronger, gave him hope.
She was his sanity!
"Are you kidding? Odango... believe me when i tell you this. I never,
not even for a second, forgot about you. I couldn't even if i wanted
to." he stated seriously, pulling back to look into her eyes.
She smiled softly, allowing her head to rest against his warm chest as
a comforting silence draped over the room. It felt like a dream... but
his smell, his gentle touch, the soft sound of his heart beating
rythmatically within his chest, it had to be real. She fit so perfectly
into his arms, like the missing piece to a puzzle... and it felt like
this was where she belonged.
But she couldn't stay there, her mind told her, ignorant to what her
heart wanted... she was a princess, an adult, here in the arms of her
best friend, a senshi, a man. She was too old to be holding him without
someone turning it into a scandle. And so, she released him, ignoring
the loss of warmth and the incessant instinct that told her to never
let go.
"I guess i should go now... you're probably tired." she said as she
turned to leave, smiling halfheartedly.
Seiya returned the gesture, but with even less inthusiasm. He didn't
want her to leave... he wanted to hold her forever, he wanted to be
with her. His queen had asked that he and his brothers find happiness...
Odango was his happiness, and he couldn't let her go.
"Odango..."
She turned back at the mention of her name just as he wrapped his strong
arms tightly around her, leaving not a breath of air between them.
"S-Seiya..." she said, a soft blush rising on her creamy cheeks.
"Don't go."
"Why?"
"Because i... Just stay with me tonight. Please, Odango."
He was surprised at his own voice, it seemed almost despret. But then,
he was despret... he needed her, she was all he had left. Just this
once, he needed her to comfort him, to erase all of his pain, to stay
near him. He almost laughed at the irony of it. He had never needed
anyone. He was the perfect solder, a senshi, he was strong... but somehow,
this princess always managed to break through his barriors and defense
systems, and made him want to need her.
She smiled, seeming to understand.
"You're my best friend Seiya, of course i'll stay with you."
Best friend... he momentarily wondered why it always hurt so much
when she said that, but quickly ushered the thoughts away and kept all
of his attention on the princess in his arms.
"Arigatou, Odango. I can take the floor." he said, smiling as he patted her
head of ivory hair.
"No way! This is your room! I'll take the floor."
"You're a princess, my princess as of tomorrow, and princess' don't sleep
on floors."
"But friends do!"
"Not tonight they don't."
"Seiya!"
"Yes, Odango?"
"You're taking the bed!" she nearly growled, much to his amusment.
"I'll take it tomorrow."
"I won't be in here tomorrow!"
"I know."
"SEIYA!"
"Don't yell Odango, you'll wake up everyone." he said sternly, obviously
trying to hold back a laugh.
He seemed to be smiling a lot lately, something he hadn't done in a very
long time, and he had never realized just how much he missed it.
"Seiya... please take the bed." she stressed, her voice dropping to
a harsh whisper.
"You're a guest in this room, so you take it. How am i supposed to sleep
if i know you're stuck on the floor?"
She scowled. It almost seemed like he was enjoying himself, teasing her
even... but he was smiling, and she was glad for that. Even if it meant
bickering with him over such a trivial thing, if it got his mind off of
his past, it was well worth it... besides, when he was like this, she
could see the child she once knew in him. She liked that child.
"If you won't take the bed, and i won't take the bed, we'll both take the
bed... deal?"
"Deal."
They smiled triumphantly, but it quickly faded, only to be replaced by a
darkening blush as realization dawned on them. They had just agreed to
share a bed.
"Um... What side do you want?" she started nervously, breaking the awkward
silence that had draped over the room.
"It doesn't matter."
"Pick one!"
"Geez Odango, okay, okay... the right side."
"Then i guess i'll take the left..."
She slowly climbed onto the bed, glancing at him as he did the same. How
could he be so calm about this?! It was all like a game to him! She pulled
the soft sheets to her chin and layed back, turning to face the opposite
direction. He leaned over her, reaching an arm out to turn of the lamp
on the nightstand beside her, ignorant to the dramatic quickening of her
heartbeat as he brushed against her. She ignored his intoxicating scent
and buried herself deeper into the sea of blankets, though was unsecessfull
in keeping her eyelids shut.
"Oyasumi, Odango."
"O-Oyasumi, Seiya..."
After a few minutes worth of trying to slow her heart to its normal pace,
she gave in to curiousity and turned to him. His eyes were closed as he
lay on his back, his head resting on his arms. He looked so peacefull...
nothing like a man who had just been through a meaningless nine year war
and had lost everything in the process. Her poor Seiya, her best friend in
the whole universe. Had that happened to her, she wouldn't be able to go
on... she would give up. And all that time, as he was losing his friends
and people, she was sitting here, selfishly waiting for his return and
questioning his ethics. Tears welled up against her will and he opened
his eyes, turning to her.
"Odango? What's wrong?" he questioned, genuinly concerned, as he propped
himself up on his elbows.
She let out a sob and threw herself into his arms, crying softly against
his chest.
"Odango? Odango, what is it?"
"I'm so sorry! I... i couldn't be with you... and you had to suffer
alone! And i was so selfish... i'm so sorry, Seiya!"
He smiled as he gently ran his fingers through her silky hair in a soothing
motion, calming her trembling body.
"It wasn't your fault, Odango... there was nothing you could do. Now don't
even think about it anymore. Just go to sleep... i'll be here with you.
I'll always be here with you."
"I'm... i'm so sorry..." she whispered as her sobs subsided, his warmth
and gentle touch lulling her to sleep.
She was safe in his arms... she knew there she would never be hurt
nor harmed. He would protect her always.
He smiled softly as her haphazard breathing regulated and her eyelids
drifted shut, her arms never loosening their grip around his neck. He
carefully pried them from him and layed back, allowing her head to rest
on his chest as one arm held her, lightly gripping her silk nightgown.
He continued to stroke her hair and upper back until his heavy eyes fell
shut, much to his protest, and he joined her in a deep sleep, neither
ever releasing the other from their embrace.
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Now on to chapter nine... geez, this is the longest fanfic i've ever
writen! 8 chapters so far! And i ain't even done yet! Well, here's some notes
that i doubt
you'll even read but, ah what the hell... here it goes:
You've probably noticed by now that the senshi don't have much of a part
in this fic. This is because, one: this is a Seiya/Usagi fic and doesn't
really need any side stories on other romances between the characters
(though if a couple does get together, it will be said but won't be delved
into); two: i don't really feel like it, this fic is long enough
already ^^;; and three: if you look back at the real anime/manga, they
really didn't go into what the other characters were doing during the
Silver Millenium either. Sorry if you're dissapointed! Gomen! I completely
forgot to warn you until now... ::slaps forehead containing useless brain::
Baka! Baka! And i also just remembered (no thanks to my useless brain here)
that in this fic the Starlights were never girls. Oi! My memory seems to
be failing me in my old age!
Well enough of that.
Review! And thanks to all who have reviewed so far. I love reviews ^_^ they
make my day. So go ahead and bug me until i get the next chapter out, i don't
mind! (man that sounds sad)
Author: Sea of Hazel
Disclaimer: The word 'disclaimer' alone should've given you a hint ^^. I
am 'dis-claiming' Sailor Moon.
AN: Yay! Seiya's finally here and they're finally adults! And it
only took seven chapters -_-. Like it so far? Well, additional notes
are at the bottom (don't forget to read, minna!), as always, so on
with the story!
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Chapter Eight: Light of Hope
"It's been a while, Seiya..."
Seiya smiled. It certainly had been a while, he thought, just over
eleven years... and yet the queen had not changed in the least. She
was still beautiful, still elegant, and still appearing to be not a
day over thirty.
Seiya, on the other hand, had changed drasticly. In fact, had she not
seen his eyes, she would never have guessed it was him. They were as
fathomless and deep as she remembered them to be, but unlike the child
she knew from so long ago, they seemed to be cloaked by an emotionless
mask... even the soft smile he wore had never reached his eyes.
He was strong now, no longer the lanky boy she once knew. Of course,
he was not as much so as the palace's burly virile guards, but enough
to give them the impression. It seemed strange that she was once able
to read him like a book, but now she couldn't even decide if he was
really smiling.
His waist length jet black hair was still pulled back into a ponytail
as he used to wear it all those years ago... and there was no doubt in
her mind that the four boy-crazy inner senshi behind her were swooning
over him and his brothers. The two at his side were equally handsom
and their hair was pulled back into a ponytail as well, one with
bluish-silver hair and mint-green eyes, and the other with brown hair
contrasting bright violet eyes, but they didn't seem to hold the same
air of confidence as the man standing before her. Yes, he was a man
now... and it made her feel dreadfully old.
"And these must be your brothers, then? Yaten and Taiki, if my memory
serves me correct?"
They nodded and she smiled, the same soft smile he remembered from
when he was seven, still innocent in the ways of the war.
"These are my daughter's senshi and the princess' of their own respective
planets... Uranus, Neptune, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury."
The four inners smiled, batting their eyelashes and giggling as though
men were a rare find on their planet. Uranus only scowled.
Seiya. She remembered him... how could she not? He had protected her
princess while they were away, having been given leave by the queen.
But he had been from another galaxy, and because there was a war
erupting within kingdoms, he could therefore not be trusted.
Queen Serenity chuckled, feeling a distinctive but faint power, and
continued, regaining the men and women's attention.
"And it would seem as though you'll be meeting the supreme princess
shortly... she's just escaped."
A broad smile, the first genuine one in years, creased Seiya's lips
and his heart beat anxiously against his chest, longing to see the
girl he had made a promise to all those years ago...
His smile quickly faded.
He despretly wished it had been under different circumstances. He had
always wanted to come just because of her... not because this...
"What?! How-- ooh that girl!" Venus exclaimed, not completely surprised
that she had done such a thing, but angry with her nonetheless.
Uranus smiled, turning to the sea goddess at her side.
"It seems our kitten will be angry with us, ne..."
"That idiot! Does she not realize why we put her there?! Geez, i'm
gonna kill her myself for pulling a stunt like that!"
Yaten stared at Mars increduliously, anger welling up inside him as
he clentched his fists tightly at his sides.
"How can you say that about your princess?! Be lucky you even have her!"
Mars was at a loss for words as she stood there, her mouth slightly
agape as this man yelled at her. Did he really think she would hurt
her princess? The most important person in the universe to her? She
had always teased like this... but no one had ever really taken her
seriously.
"Yaten, calm down..." Taiki whispered from behind him.
The queen momentarily felt the emotions linning these three... such
sadness and regret... and she wondered what could have happened to
change them so. It must have been terrible, to have been able to
transform such a joyful child full of laughter and life into a man
with an emotionless face that nearly made even the unshakable queen
uncomfortable.
Serenity scowled as she marched across the cement, the loud
clacking of her heels speaking in volumes. She was fuming. It had been
surprisingly easy to escape the maids, and she smiled at her cleverness,
silently patting herself on the back. She had persuaded a few maids to
escort her to the chamber's restroom, explaining that she hadn't used
it this morning (after all, she had been practicaly dragged to the
room-- they really never asked if there was something she needed to
do first) where she used a simple spell to transport herself out of
the stall and outside the palace. She knew there was a chance her
mother may have felt it, but it was a small price to pay for her
escape. She wasn't helpless in the least, so she didn't see where
they had gotten the idea that she needed to be sheltered and left in
the dark when it came to her kingdom. She was a women, a full sixteen,
not a child crawling at their skirts.
She growled as she spotted her mother from behind the senshi, igorant
to anyone else, including the three she was speaking with. She knew
she had been expecting her by the way she turned to smile that
all-knowing motherly smile, only serving to fuel her anger.
Seiya turned in the direction the queen's gaze had fallen, and
his eyes widened, crumbling the emotionless guise he had just moments
before. It was her. The person he had waited what seemed
like a lifetime to see... but at the same time, it wasn't her. It
wasn't his little Odango, even if she still wore them... this was a
women, every part of her vouched for that. She was the single most
beautiful thing he had ever seen... a goddess would envy her, much
less a mortal. Her skin was seemingly the color of the moonlight,
contrasting to the deep cerulean eyes fixed on her mother. They held
intellegence and fire, but by the way she was glaring, the later of
the two was more predominate. Her hair, nearly the color of white
diamonds, shifted softly in the breeze as small curls framed her
face... his eyes then traveled to her full rosey lips, and he
yearned to catch them with his own. She had grown into an amazing
body, one he had never imagined for the petite girl he once knew.
He could remember trying to picture what she would look like when
she matured... but never in his wildest dreamest could he have
thought up this. She was, understatedly put... breathtaking.
"Sere! What are you doing out here?!" Jupiter exclaimed, tearing
him away from his thoughts.
The princess now stood before her mother, just within arms reach
of him... yet she never even acknowledged his pressence. Maybe she
had forgotten him after all, he thought dejectedly, casting
his eyes away from her as he released the breath he had absentmindedly
been holding.
"Mother, how could you?! I am not a child and i do not deserve to be
dragged into the maids chambers as if i were one!"
She knew she should still be angry, but she suddenly wasn't in the
least... she was too immersed in a different emotion, something she
couldn't quite grasp but felt as though she should already know. Her
heart was pounding so hard she wouldn't have been surprised if Earth
could hear it... and it had taken effort just to keep her voice from
quivering as she spoke.
"I apologize, Serenity, you are right. But you shouldn't worry your
senshi like that... had it been a real emergency and you were outside
the palace, devastating consequences could have occcured."
She glanced at her senshi and smiled apologetically, to which they
returned the gesture. It was then she realized that there were people
behind her, but she never had to look... she just felt them. That
nagging sensation returned with this new revelation and she had the
sudden urge to run into whosever arms were behind her, aquainted or not.
She slowly turned, her eyes immediatly seeking his. They were beautiful...
familiar. The color of a deep ocean against the night sky. But she
couldn't quite place them, even as her heart, no, her very soul
screamed itself hoarse in a language she could not understand. It
seemed to be begging her to throw her body into his arms and to
never let go, to let their souls become one and their hearts beat
in unison... and in a way she wanted to, but her body was frozen, her
eyes transfixed on his.
The queen smiled as she watched Seiya, his eyes no longer nonchalant
and dull but an unclouded brilliant shade of sapphire. She could see
the child in him through those eyes...
"Serenity, you remember Seiya."
That name. It was that name... the name belonging to the person she
had wanted to see since she was five. Aside from the vague image of
his eyes, it was only memory her mind had allowed her to keep,
soothing her at the mention of it yet tormenting her when she couldn't
see the person it belonged to.
"Sei...ya?" she whispered through parched lips, tears welling up
in her enlarged eyes.
But this was not her Seiya... this was a man. He was not the lean,
lanky boy she so vaguly remembered from her childhood... this man
was strong, tall, and the most handsom man she had ever laid eyes
on. But those eyes... and that ebony hair... they seemed so familair.
"Odango..." he breathed, his eyes never leaving hers.
Odango... her nickname... the only name he had ever called her by.
This must be her Seiya, no one knew of that name. Tears spilled
forth as she gave in to her heart, her soul, and threw herself into
his arms, crying against his chest as she clutched the soft material
of his navy silk shirt. Seiya smiled, holding back his own tears as
he held the one person that could erase all of his sadness, his
grief, his hopelessness, tightly against him.
"You kept your promise..."
"So you didn't believe i would?" he teased as he gently kissed her
shoulder, closing his eyes as he relished the feeling of holding her.
"Never! I never stopped believing... i was always waiting for you..."
He smiled. So she hadn't forgotten him after all...
"Ahem." Yaten said from behind them, inturrupting their little reunion
and effectively ruining the moment.
"SHUT UP!" the inner senshi screamed at the little man, sucessfully
scaring the hell out of him, before returning to their bawling.
Taiki only sighed, pulling a few tissues out of his breast pocket,
to which the girls quickly took and used to its full extent.
The watery haired women wiped away a few stray tears as she grasped
Uranus' arm, sucessfully holding her back from viciously murdering the
man who dared to touch her Kitten.
Serenity and Seiya smiled and reluctantly released eachother, turning
to the queen as she spoke.
"What brings you three here?"
Seiya's eyes immediatly darkened, and from behind him she could see
the other two cast their eyes away... she prayed to God they wouldn't
tell her what she had already guessed long before she had asked that
question.
"Queen Serenity, we must speak with you... it's urgent."
Queen Serenity collapsed to her throne after having cleared
the room of all palace employees to ensure their privacy, smiling
wanly at the men before her.
"Now please, Seiya... what is it?"
He sighed, removing a small mechanism from its case before handing
it to the queen, who then pushed a small button and a hollogram appeared.
"Kakyuu..." she whispered as leaned forward, staring at her dearest friend.
She was pale, weary, and it seemed as though it was taking all of her
strength just to speak.
"Queen Serenity... if you are watching this message, i am dead."
The queen gasped, bringing a shaky hand to her mouth in disbelief as
tears began to cloud her vision.
"I would also assume that my daughter's senshi, Fighter, Healer, and
Maker, are with you. They are the only remaining royalty of our
kingdom... the princess... is also dead..." she paused, choking down
a sob, before regaining her royal posture and continuing.
"The war began not two years after Fighter's departure from the moon,
and we have been fighting ever since. Three years ago my daughter
had sent the five senshi that had been protecting her to aid our
kingdom... each of them died with in the next few years. Fighter,
Healer, and Maker continued to fight from outside the palace as i
protected it from with in... but when they realized there was nothing
left they could do, they returned to protect me. By then my planet
had become a planet of death... bodies and blood littered the earth
as the sky darkened to an accusing red. A few days later, word came
that the kingdom my daughter had been living on had been destoyed,
and she was dead. I gave up after that... but the senshi continued
to hold up my sheild around the palace, even when i protested.
After a week their powers were drained and i was wasting away, so
i've made this message for them to give to you. I ask only one thing
of you, Serenity, please allow my daughter's senshi to protect
your kingdom, and your daughter. She is the light of hope for so
many people... only she can destroy that evil women. Fighter,
Healer, Maker... i am so sorry i gave up, when you were so strong
and continued even in such pain... please, as my last wish and your
final mission, protect princess Serenity. I love you all dearly, so
please, find happiness. Goodbye, my dearest Serenity..."
The image blurred and faded, her last words dieing on her crimson
lips, and a melancholy silence drapped over the emmense room. The
princess turned to Seiya, tears falling from her enlarged watery eyes.
How could this have happened to her best friend? And yet, she hadn't
been there to comfort him and tell him everything would be all right.
She wasn't able to hold him, whispering incoherent nothings as
he cried, the way friends were supposed to. He had been alone.
"Seiya..." she whispered as she crossed over to him, wrapping her arms
around his neck.
He remained motionless, clenching his fists at his side to keep
from holding her... to keep from crying. He was a man. Men didn't
cry... not him at least. Crying was useless, it never solved
anything.
But the way she held him, telling him it was all right and that
she was with him, made him want to give in, to hold her
until all his pain was washed away. And he did. His eyes closed
in defeat as his arms wove their way around her waist and two warm
drops fell to her shoulder, soon to be followed by more.
And he realized, he needed her more than the air he breathed.
"So what makes you think we want you? If you can't even protect
your own princess, what makes you think we want you around ours?"
"Nani?!" Seiya growled as he released her and turned, glaring at
Uranus through his tears.
"Uranus!"
She ignored Neptune, keeping her cold unwavering gaze on Seiya. Her
princess, next to Neptune, was the most imporant person in the
universe to her... and these three senshi, who live a galaxy away
and didn't even succeed in protecting their own princess, wanted to
help protect her kitten? She wouldn't allow it... she was too important
to her to let them risk her safty.
"If you can't even protect your own princess, why come here? Did you think
protecting someone else's would make you feel less guilty?"
"Uranus that's enough!"
Yaten stepped towards her, tears flowing freely down his paled cheeks.
"It was our queen's last wish! And even if it means putting up with you,
we're going to protect this kingdom and its princess!"
She only smirked.
"What makes you think it'll be different this time?"
"Well, first of all we didn't have a bastard like you critizing us!"
Uranus uncrossed her arms, her anger begining to seep through her calm
exterior.
"What did you say?"
"What, are you deaf?"
"ENOUGH!" Serenity screamed, quickly silencing the room.
"How are we going to fight a war if we can't even stop fighting
each other?! Uranus, what you said to them was unforgivable... had
it been me who died and my mother who gave you the order to protect
their princess, you wouldn't have hesistated! I believe we can use
all the help we can get to protect my kingdom, and they're all the
reinforcments available! I trust them... Seiya once saved my life
with no regard for his own... you should be thankful that i'm even
here today. Please, Uranus, please try to get along with them. You're
both so important to me..."
She hesistated, clenching her fists as she glared at Seiya, who
returned the gaze with an equal icyness, before giving into defeat.
How could she deny her kitten her wish? The only thing she had ever
asked of her?
"Fine. I'll do it for you, koneko-chan."
The princess smiled broadly, before shifting her gaze to her mother.
"Starlights, you have my permission to protect my daughter and my
kingdom. You will be sworn in tomorrow afternoon, and if you comply,
you will do so for the rest of your lives as though she were your
own princess and this were your own kindom. Serenity will show you
to your rooms. I am so sorry about your kingdom... you have my deepest
sympathies." the queen said wearily, giving them a weak smile.
"Thank you, your highness."
The three bowed and turned to follow the princess and her senshi
out of the room, leaving the queen to her thoughts.
Those three had been through so much pain and suffering... they
didn't deserve that. No one deserved that. She could only hope her
daughter would be able to free them from their infinite guilt and
regret...
Serenity crept silently through the darkened halls toward
Seiya's chamber, the star-ladden night sky lighting her way from the
palace's large windows. She knocked lightly, careful to avoid waking
any nearby senshi... they could be quite grumpy when their 'beauty
sleep', as Venus had put it, was inturupted. She knew from experience.
The door quickly opened and she was met by a pair of startling sapphire
eyes, gazing back at her with a look of almost suprise... and suddenly,
she was nervous. She quickly tried to shake it, tried to slow the rapid
beating of her heart, after all they were only friends. Why would she
be nervous over a friend? Although, she hadn't seen him since they were
children, and he was quite handsom...
"Odango? What is it?" he asked, his eyebrows creased in worry as he ran
a hand through his tousled ebony hair.
She gulped, her eyes roaming over his musclular chest under
lowered lashes. She itched to brush the silky black hair from his face.
Seiya looked her over, suddenly thankful for the dim lighting or she
would have been able to tell how bad he was blushing. She wore a blanched
purple negligee that reached her ankles, a slit traveling dangerously
high on one side and a neckline that plunged, hugging her shapely curves.
It was held up by extremely thin speghetti straps, exposing much of her
perfect and unblemished ivory skin.
"I..." she began hesitantly.
This was ridiculous! He was her friend, if not her best friend, and
people do not develop crushes on their best friends! She looked him
in the eye resolutly, pushing all thoughts and feelings concerning
him to the back of her mind.
"Nothing really. I just... i just needed to see you. I feel like all
of this is a dream. I am so sorry if i have disturbed you, i know how
late it is... and you were probably sleeping... but i..."
He smiled, and she was thankfull he had interrupted her mindless babble
before she sounded even more like a loon.
"Don't worry about it, Odango... i wasn't asleep." he said, stepping
aside for her to enter the dimly-lit room.
She nervously toyed with her ring as she glanced around the predominatly
gold room, carefull to avoid any eye contact in fear she wouldn't be
able to turn away. Seiya stared at her, a small, barely visable smile
resting on his lips as he watched the lights play across her features,
seeming to her her long ivory tresses into waves of gold. He could
still remember how her hair once looked, before the attack on her
kingdom... golden, just like it was now. And however vague it was,
he could still picture the small girl she had once been.
"Seiya...?" she asked, unknowingly interupting his thoughts.
"Hai?"
"...Do you still remember the promise you made to me... just before
you left?"
He laughed as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, making her
all the more adorable.
"Of course, Odango! Didn't we already cover this?"
"You gave me this, telling me to keep it safe until you returned to
get it... so here. I kept it safe for you." she smiled, pulling the
silver ring off her finger.
"Keep it. It was never the ring i wanted... it was only an excuse to
see you." he winked, provoking a melodious giggle from her, before continuing,
"Besides, it looks better on you anyway."
She smiled one of her amazingly beautiful smiles and thanked him,
returning the precious ring to the finger it had graced for over
eleven years. She then paused and turned to him, her small hands
resting against his chest as she leaned her forehead against him.
"Seiya, you're my best friend... please promise me something."
He wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed the top of her head,
but inwardly winced at the thought of being nothing more than 'best
friends'... though he couldn't understand why it had bothered him.
"Anything you want, Odango."
She looked up, her cerlean eyes pleading with him, begging him.
"Promise me you'll never leave me again... i couldn't stand it. I
missed you horribly... please promise me, Seiya..."
"I promise."
He knew as soon as the words escaped his lips it wasn't a promise he
would be able to keep unconditionally... but he was no match against
those beautiful eyes, he never was. He would give her anything... but
at the risk of her safty, he could never. If a time came that deemed
it absolutly necessary for him to leave, be it to fight or anything
else, he would have no choice. As long as she was safe, nothing mattered.
His life meant nothing without her.
"I'll hold you to that!" she said sternly, leaving no room for an argument.
"I know."
She sighed happily, winding her arms around his waist.
"I'm so glad you're back! I'd almost began to believe you had forgotten
about me."
Forgotten about her? he thought incredulouly, she was the only thing
that kept him alive all those years! Just the thought of her smile,
her laughter, her adorable pout even, made him stronger, gave him hope.
She was his sanity!
"Are you kidding? Odango... believe me when i tell you this. I never,
not even for a second, forgot about you. I couldn't even if i wanted
to." he stated seriously, pulling back to look into her eyes.
She smiled softly, allowing her head to rest against his warm chest as
a comforting silence draped over the room. It felt like a dream... but
his smell, his gentle touch, the soft sound of his heart beating
rythmatically within his chest, it had to be real. She fit so perfectly
into his arms, like the missing piece to a puzzle... and it felt like
this was where she belonged.
But she couldn't stay there, her mind told her, ignorant to what her
heart wanted... she was a princess, an adult, here in the arms of her
best friend, a senshi, a man. She was too old to be holding him without
someone turning it into a scandle. And so, she released him, ignoring
the loss of warmth and the incessant instinct that told her to never
let go.
"I guess i should go now... you're probably tired." she said as she
turned to leave, smiling halfheartedly.
Seiya returned the gesture, but with even less inthusiasm. He didn't
want her to leave... he wanted to hold her forever, he wanted to be
with her. His queen had asked that he and his brothers find happiness...
Odango was his happiness, and he couldn't let her go.
"Odango..."
She turned back at the mention of her name just as he wrapped his strong
arms tightly around her, leaving not a breath of air between them.
"S-Seiya..." she said, a soft blush rising on her creamy cheeks.
"Don't go."
"Why?"
"Because i... Just stay with me tonight. Please, Odango."
He was surprised at his own voice, it seemed almost despret. But then,
he was despret... he needed her, she was all he had left. Just this
once, he needed her to comfort him, to erase all of his pain, to stay
near him. He almost laughed at the irony of it. He had never needed
anyone. He was the perfect solder, a senshi, he was strong... but somehow,
this princess always managed to break through his barriors and defense
systems, and made him want to need her.
She smiled, seeming to understand.
"You're my best friend Seiya, of course i'll stay with you."
Best friend... he momentarily wondered why it always hurt so much
when she said that, but quickly ushered the thoughts away and kept all
of his attention on the princess in his arms.
"Arigatou, Odango. I can take the floor." he said, smiling as he patted her
head of ivory hair.
"No way! This is your room! I'll take the floor."
"You're a princess, my princess as of tomorrow, and princess' don't sleep
on floors."
"But friends do!"
"Not tonight they don't."
"Seiya!"
"Yes, Odango?"
"You're taking the bed!" she nearly growled, much to his amusment.
"I'll take it tomorrow."
"I won't be in here tomorrow!"
"I know."
"SEIYA!"
"Don't yell Odango, you'll wake up everyone." he said sternly, obviously
trying to hold back a laugh.
He seemed to be smiling a lot lately, something he hadn't done in a very
long time, and he had never realized just how much he missed it.
"Seiya... please take the bed." she stressed, her voice dropping to
a harsh whisper.
"You're a guest in this room, so you take it. How am i supposed to sleep
if i know you're stuck on the floor?"
She scowled. It almost seemed like he was enjoying himself, teasing her
even... but he was smiling, and she was glad for that. Even if it meant
bickering with him over such a trivial thing, if it got his mind off of
his past, it was well worth it... besides, when he was like this, she
could see the child she once knew in him. She liked that child.
"If you won't take the bed, and i won't take the bed, we'll both take the
bed... deal?"
"Deal."
They smiled triumphantly, but it quickly faded, only to be replaced by a
darkening blush as realization dawned on them. They had just agreed to
share a bed.
"Um... What side do you want?" she started nervously, breaking the awkward
silence that had draped over the room.
"It doesn't matter."
"Pick one!"
"Geez Odango, okay, okay... the right side."
"Then i guess i'll take the left..."
She slowly climbed onto the bed, glancing at him as he did the same. How
could he be so calm about this?! It was all like a game to him! She pulled
the soft sheets to her chin and layed back, turning to face the opposite
direction. He leaned over her, reaching an arm out to turn of the lamp
on the nightstand beside her, ignorant to the dramatic quickening of her
heartbeat as he brushed against her. She ignored his intoxicating scent
and buried herself deeper into the sea of blankets, though was unsecessfull
in keeping her eyelids shut.
"Oyasumi, Odango."
"O-Oyasumi, Seiya..."
After a few minutes worth of trying to slow her heart to its normal pace,
she gave in to curiousity and turned to him. His eyes were closed as he
lay on his back, his head resting on his arms. He looked so peacefull...
nothing like a man who had just been through a meaningless nine year war
and had lost everything in the process. Her poor Seiya, her best friend in
the whole universe. Had that happened to her, she wouldn't be able to go
on... she would give up. And all that time, as he was losing his friends
and people, she was sitting here, selfishly waiting for his return and
questioning his ethics. Tears welled up against her will and he opened
his eyes, turning to her.
"Odango? What's wrong?" he questioned, genuinly concerned, as he propped
himself up on his elbows.
She let out a sob and threw herself into his arms, crying softly against
his chest.
"Odango? Odango, what is it?"
"I'm so sorry! I... i couldn't be with you... and you had to suffer
alone! And i was so selfish... i'm so sorry, Seiya!"
He smiled as he gently ran his fingers through her silky hair in a soothing
motion, calming her trembling body.
"It wasn't your fault, Odango... there was nothing you could do. Now don't
even think about it anymore. Just go to sleep... i'll be here with you.
I'll always be here with you."
"I'm... i'm so sorry..." she whispered as her sobs subsided, his warmth
and gentle touch lulling her to sleep.
She was safe in his arms... she knew there she would never be hurt
nor harmed. He would protect her always.
He smiled softly as her haphazard breathing regulated and her eyelids
drifted shut, her arms never loosening their grip around his neck. He
carefully pried them from him and layed back, allowing her head to rest
on his chest as one arm held her, lightly gripping her silk nightgown.
He continued to stroke her hair and upper back until his heavy eyes fell
shut, much to his protest, and he joined her in a deep sleep, neither
ever releasing the other from their embrace.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Now on to chapter nine... geez, this is the longest fanfic i've ever
writen! 8 chapters so far! And i ain't even done yet! Well, here's some notes
that i doubt
you'll even read but, ah what the hell... here it goes:
You've probably noticed by now that the senshi don't have much of a part
in this fic. This is because, one: this is a Seiya/Usagi fic and doesn't
really need any side stories on other romances between the characters
(though if a couple does get together, it will be said but won't be delved
into); two: i don't really feel like it, this fic is long enough
already ^^;; and three: if you look back at the real anime/manga, they
really didn't go into what the other characters were doing during the
Silver Millenium either. Sorry if you're dissapointed! Gomen! I completely
forgot to warn you until now... ::slaps forehead containing useless brain::
Baka! Baka! And i also just remembered (no thanks to my useless brain here)
that in this fic the Starlights were never girls. Oi! My memory seems to
be failing me in my old age!
Well enough of that.
Review! And thanks to all who have reviewed so far. I love reviews ^_^ they
make my day. So go ahead and bug me until i get the next chapter out, i don't
mind! (man that sounds sad)