Eliana kept her eyes on the girl too. It seemed most of the girls were impressed with her power, Mikoto asking how she'd managed to keep them from getting sucked up as well. "No.. I think that might be for the best. If 'he' doesn't like her than being around her might rile him up and cause us more problems than we're ready to handle. You go ahead and head home for now. I'll stay behind and see if I can't get things sorted out a bit alright?" she suggested, giving him an understanding smile. It was the first smile that was apologetic he'd received from her since she'd overheard his declaration of love.

Hajime smiled back, giving her a small hug before walking off.

"A hug?" Mia asked, walking up. "He seems to be more confident than he was before. I wonder what's changed?" She looked at Eliana. "This girl is powerful. I think she's the key we needed to defeat Metallia."

She tilted her head for a moment and then blushed at Mai's comment, finally starting to get such things since she knew the truth. "Take my word for it Mai... power comes at a price... and I worry what her price is..." she told her, watching the new girl carefully. She didn't seem to even feel emotions... could that be part of her price perhaps? But if she didn't feel emotions... then how could they trust her? Emotions were what determined right and wrong for a person... without that... 'She could also be the key to destroying us...' she thought, feeling chill down her own spine.

She headed home after a bit when all the girls split up. "Tadaima," she called with a tired sigh. She made her way to the couch and flopped down on it, her eyes closed. She was going to have to drop into Sanctuary before long to see what she could see of Abby. As it was she was low on energy again because of her long absence from that place.

Hajime returned shortly after her, having been to the grocery store to pick up some tea, hot chocolate, and eggs. They seemed to run low on eggs often, but Hajime didn't mind. When he entered the apartment, he noticed Eliana on the couch, and that she seemed to be sleeping. He tried to make his way around the apartment without noise, trying to keep from disturbing her.

"Okairi," she told him softly not opening her eyes for a minute. And then she sat up, seeing where he'd been. "You got me eggs? Good." She smiled a little. "I really like eggs." She pushed herself off the couch to help him put things away, though when their hands touched on accident she blushed, quickly drawing her hand back. "Sorry..." she murmured. She was making things awkward between them no matter how she tried to pretend everything was normal. It was rather frustrating all things considered. "I'm going to go back to Sanctuary tonight," she told him quietly, not thinking to let him know it would only be for a bit while she did what she needed to regain her energy and watch Black hole.

"Oh." Hajime almost sighed, wishing she hadn't heard him say that he loved her. He'd made it difficult for her, and for her to be around him. "If you think that's best, then yes, that's fine." He smiled. "What do you want for dinner before you go?"

She thought a moment. "I don't get hungry there, so nothing I guess." she told him. "Well- I'll be leaving then." she told him, transforming and holding out her staff, closing her eyes and she focused on taking herself to Sanctuary.

Hajime nodded.

"Don't take too long in coming back?" he asked tentatively, He really hoped she wasn't going for good. He'd come to enjoy her company around the apartment, and it felt empty without her there.

She opened her eyes and gave him a smile, soft and warm. Somehow his asking warmed her heart. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Who knows, I might still be back in time for dinner." And then light flashed and she was gone.

She was not back in time for dinner, nor was she back within a few hours. It was well past midnight when she returned, stepping quietly to Hajime's room as she dropped her transformation, wondering if he was still awake or not.

Hajime was in fact asleep, lying on his side, an arm stretched out with his other hand tucked under his pillow. He had on sleep pants, but was bare chested, most of his body covered in blankets. Apollo was curled up on the couch, sleeping. Nothing seemed amiss, so he was fine going to sleep. She stood in the doorway, watching him as he slept for a minute and then took a step in, froze, and quickly backed out of the room, turning as soon as she was out the door to retreat to her own room quickly. She leaned against the wall, covering her mouth, her face turning red. She'd almost gone into the room and kissed him! Why was she doing such a thing?!

'I kissed her because I love her,' Hajime has said. So... did that mean... She shook her head, unable to finish the thought. She lay on her bed, but then just tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep as her mind refused to stop pondering this thought.

Hajime began to stir in his sleep. Something assaulted the edges of his mind.

"Hajime. Hajime, listen to me," said a horrible voice. Hajime looked around, and found himself face to face with the Medusa-like Metallia. He took a step back. "No, don't. I can kill you even in here." Hajime stood still. "Come meet me in the park. I have a deal, one that you can't refuse."

"Why should I trust you?" Hajime asked coldly. Metallia shrugged.

"Black Hole works for me. If I tell her to, she'll suck up Sun the next time." Metallia smirked at Hajime's horrified look. "Be there within the next hour. Or else." Hajime could only mutely nod as the dream faded to black.

Hajime sat up, gasping. Throwing his blankets to the side, he donned a shirt, and changed into jeans. Grabbing a jacket, he stepped quietly into Eliana's room, not sure if she was back yet or not. She was, and seemed to be asleep. He stepped in and gently kissed her on the lips.

"I'm going to save you..." he whispered as he stood up straight. He then left, getting to the park in record time. As his breath misted upon the cool night air, he heard footsteps on the frosted grass behind him. Turning, he looked at Metallia. "What kind of deal do you want witch?" he asked. Metallia grinned.

"At least you have the good sense to show up. In exchange for not hurting me, I don't hurt you. None of your little girlies, not Sun, and no more monsters. Yeah?" she asked, offering a hand. Hajime bit back a snarl of disgust, trying, and succeeding, to keep his darker self back.

"Deal. No more attacks, no more threats. Leave and never come back," he said. Metallia just nodded, and Hajime never knew that she had her fingers crossed behind her back. He hurried home, shivering, realizing that he'd put a lighter coat than he should have on. Entering the apartment, he took off his shoes and hurried to bed. Curling up under the blankets, he hoped to god that he wouldn't get sick.

Eliana had been on the verge of sleep when he'd come in and kissed her, her mind still playing over what she'd almost done to Hajime. And so- in her less than lucid state she thought that his kiss was her imagination running away with her. But later that night she found that, while she was thinking about him... she didn't feel him in the apartment. She got up and checked. Indeed his bed was empty. She closed her eyes, trying to feel him and found that he was on his way back to the apartment. 'Late night shopping?' she wondered, but he went straight back to his room, which she was in, having stepped back and gone unnoticed- until she spoke.

"Hajime- where were you?" she asked, feeling worried. 'Why hadn't he told me or Apollo he was leaving?'

"I just went out. Couldn't sleep. You two seemed like you were well and truly asleep, so I didn't bother you. Didn't want to wake you up," he said with a shiver. "I'm fine. Don't worry Eliana. Everything will be alright." He smiled at her, trying to reassure her, but only shivered again.

Him trying to reassure her and using words like 'everything WILL be alright' worried her. She went to him and touched his forehead, he hand almost hot against his cool skin. She thought a moment and then rather unexpectedly, lifted his blankets and slipped into bed beside him, wrapping her arms around him, her warmth spreading through him. "You need to always have either Apollo or me with you Hajime. We never know what Metallia will try or when. And your power is still unstable," she told him, feeling a bit of give in her barrier around his power. "Did something happen while you were out?"

Hajime blinked in surprise, but felt himself reacting. He encircled his arms around her, holding her close.

"I know," he whispered, his breath wafting across the top of her head. "I have been working on it though, and I feel like I've been able to control it a little while I'm not transformed..." He must be sick, because there was no way in hell this would have ever happened. His tired mind chalked this up to a fevered hallucination as he began to drift off to sleep. No other dreams disturbed him as the night slowly wore on, but he held onto Eliana tightly, as if she were the most precious thing in the world that he could not afford to lose.

She hadn't intended to sleep with him. Just hurry and warm him up again so he wouldn't get sick... but now she couldn't get away. Any time she tried to pull away his grip on her got tighter. She sighed after a moment and gave up on getting out of his arms. Besides... she found she like the warmth being in his arms gave her, even if it did make her heart ache in an odd way. She looked up at him for a moment and then placed a light kiss on his cheek before settling down and going to sleep herself.

Hajime woke in the morning, and felt a pleasant presence in his bed beside him. Opening his eyes, he found Eliana there. Swearing to himself in his head, he tried to gently disentangle himself from her. How had she ended up there? He had hoped that he wouldn't do anything to make anything harder on her than it already was, but here she was in his bed.

"I'm awful..." he muttered to himself as he tried to quietly get out of bed.

Eliana woke when he tried to get up, looking around a bit confused. Her eyes found Hajime and locked on his for a moment before widening as she blushed. "Oh- uh- good morning." she greeted, sitting up. "Did... did you sleep well?" she asked, trying to be somehow casual about it all.

"I did," Hajime said quietly. "I'm not cold anymore." He couldn't meet Eliana's eyes. He'd made it that much harder for her. That much harder for himself. "Eliana... I'm... I'm sorry... I told myself that I wouldn't make it any harder on you than it already was... And now here we are..." He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees and his face in his hands.

"Eh?" she asked, feeling a bit confused. It was like they were on one topic and suddenly he was on a completely different train then her. She was quiet a moment as she sought out which one it was he'd hopped onto. But- she really didn't know what he was talking about. After all SHE knew that he hadn't pulled her into the bed or anything so what was he so worried about? "Uh... it's fine? I'm not... I'm not even sure I know what you're talking about." An idea struck her- that perhaps he thought more than just sleeping had happened and she blushed crimson. "Nothing happened if that's what you're worried about," she assured him, sitting up, her legs folded under her and she tried to lean around him to see his face, despite how embarrassed she felt at the moment.

"What? No." Hajime turned to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I know that I was too tired to remotely consider anything like that. What I meant was..." He sighed, looking away. "You're immortal Eliana... I'm not. I didn't want to force you into anything that would make everything harder for you when you left, or when I died." He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I just didn't want to make your life harder. I know that I've already done so... But I didn't want to make it worse..."

She stared at him, her pale eyes seeming unreadable. He was worried about her immortality and his mortality. He didn't want to make her suffer by having her let alone again when he... died. She'd never thought about it. Rather, she'd refused to consider what lay ahead. He would die. Even if they somehow lived through this- which she was honestly seeing as more and more difficult with how hell bent the universe was on self-destruction- he would still die and she would be up in Sanctuary, living on for as long as the universe existed. Her heart felt like it was being stabbed with a cold knife from the very thought of it. She didn't want that. She didn't want...

Her mind seemed to go blank and her body moved on its own, leaning in towards him, her lips ever so softly brushing against his own.

Hajime found himself kissing her back, but after a few moments, he realized what was happening, and he pulled away.

"Eliana..." he pleaded. This was difficult. "Please..." He was having trouble keeping from kissing her again. Seeing tears sparkling in her eyes, he just gave up, leaning in and kissing her again, holding her close. After a few moments, he pulled back again, slightly breathless. "I love you..."

"I love you..." she repeated, but then she paused, blinking a bit, seeming confused. Did she? Was that what she'd been feeling? She'd just said the words back without even thinking... but... perhaps that was for the best... without thinking she'd kissed him. Much of her inner turmoil and confusion seemed to be dissipating now. She liked how it felt when they had kissed. And she didn't feel like she'd said a lie either. "I love you," she said again, feeling more sure of it now, but sounding a bit awed.

Hajime held her close, kissing her again. It felt more than amazing to hear her say that too him. After the kiss ended, he just held her, wanting nothing more than to remain that way for a long time.

Apollo stood in the door, watching them, his ears slight down and also slightly back, his tail a bit tucked. As he had feared... Hajime was threatening to take Sailor Sun from him. And then it would in the end be left to him to comfort her in her misery when the world continued after Hajime's death. He didn't like entertaining the idea that everything would stop soon. Sighing he left the two of them alone, going back to the couch.

Eliana leaned against him, feeling a little overwhelmed by the name to her current emotions... and more than a little scared. She couldn't turn back now. "H-Hajime?" She asked after a moment, pushing away enough that she could look up at him. "Is this really okay? Even if somehow everything works itself out- I will have to return to sanctuary... I... I don't know that we can every truly be together..."

"I... I know..." Hajime said quietly. "I wanted this to happen. But I was scared that it would too." His grip tightened on her. "I'm not good for you..." He sounded and looked rather miserable. "Sometimes I wish that I'd never fallen for you... But other times I'm so grateful for it..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry that I've done this..."

Eliana wasn't sure what to say to that, so she didn't even try.

A month passed, and slowly they were getting closer, though they both still held back a bit, fear of what was to come making them hesitant to truly move forward together. But the lack of attacks in that month had Eliana very worried. Why wasn't anyone attacking? What was Metallia waiting for?