Earth--Night

Usagi sits straight up in bed, wide awake, panting and sweating. Her eyes dart around the room in a frenzy, inspecting every shadow for some sign of abnormalcy. Satisfied that all was well, she sits back slowly, taking deep breaths. She's had yet another nightmare. Her battle with Galaxia had taken a toll on her. Though she hadn't seemed very afraid at the time, she had been petrified. By now her wounds have healed, but her mind is scarred. She doesn't have very many dreams anymore, but when she does all she dreams of is death--her friends, her loved ones. And now Mamoru has gone back to America to study; he doesn't know of her nightmares. No one does, not even Luna.

The feline in question dozes peacefully at the foot of the bed, completely unaware of the inner turmoil Usagi faces--alone. Finally her pulse slows down to normal, and she breathes out a sigh of relief. She reminds herself that everyone's fine, that they're all alive and well...yet the fear is still there. She's lost all of her friends now at least once--except the Starlights. Somehow the three foreigners had cheated death, despite their suicidal battle against Galaxia.

But now they were gone, and she was afraid--afraid of losing her friends again, afraid of the unknown, afraid of another attack--even afraid of saying her fears aloud. She shakes her head to clear it, then slowly climbs out of bed. She knows sleep now would be futile; she'd be up again in an hour. Instead she changes into sweatpants and a small shirt that exposes her belly, and slips on a pair of sneakers. She doesn't bother putting her loosened hair into her usual odangos, and instead ties it back simply with a scrunchie.

Ready at two in the morning, Usagi goes out for an early morning jog.

Seiya wakes up alone, on a park bench, groaning. He grabs his head; it throbs in pain. Looking around, he notices the change of scenery, time, clothes...gender? Frantically he feels along his body, noticing the blatant lack of distinguishing feminine characteristics. He rises from the park bench, looking around, and sees a solitary figure running toward him. No--not toward him, just running in his general direction. As the figure nears he notices the long, blonde hair, those familiar blue eyes...

Usagi stops dead in her tracks. No, it can't be...can it? She walks cautiously toward the dark-haired figure, eyes wide and drying from tears she had shed during her run.

"Seiya...?"

"Odango," he says in disbelief.

"Seiya!" She runs toward him now, a hopeful smile on her face. "Is it really you? When did you come back?"

"Ah...just recently," he answers dodgingly. In truth he has no recollection of arriving on Earth, just...waking up on a park bench.

"I'm so glad you're here!" she breathes, crushing her body against his in a hug. He hesitatingly wraps his arms around her, not too sure as to what's happening but willing to go along with it--for the moment. "Seiya, I've missed you so much..."

"And I you, Odango," he answers with a smile, warming up to his new surroundings. He pulls away, holding her by her shoulders and looking her over. He frowns. "What are you doing out here all alone? Couldn't sleep?"

"Oh, uh...yeah, too much caffeine," she says, embarrassed.

"Not so sure about the caffeine part. You don't look like you've changed--so maybe it's sugar," he teases lightly. She sticks her tongue out at him.

"No! That's not it. You should never joke about a thing like that. So what are you doing out here?"

"Ah, I just came for some fresh air is all," he lies. "I should be getting back. Taiki and Yaten might worry."

"Ah, I see. Will you be at school tomorrow, Seiya-kun?"

"You can count on that," he replies with a wink. She blushes, waves and runs off back to her house. He waves back until she's out of sight, then looks around for a street sign. Confusion written in his features and hands in his pockets, he slowly makes his way to his old apartment.

Kakyuu-hime has some explaining to do, he thinks to himself.

Back at her house, Usagi quickly changes into her nightdress, untying her hair and slipping under the bedsheet. She lays back with a smile, eyes closing. Her mind full of hopeful thoughts, she knows her nightmares are chased away at least for one night.

Anyone catching the whole post-traumatic stress disorder thing? It'll come back to haunt everyone, I promise. Just part of a set-up for sweet scenes with Seiya, plus it adds an element of realism. Ttfn, please review!