Here you go guys, I'm sorry it's a little late; I had problems with this one at almost every turn and re-wrote it loads of times. I still reckon it's a little drawn out *grimace* but it's here now so I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for any spelling mistakes; I'm my own proof-reader again at the minute.

Thanks to all my reviewers for their continual encouragement, I couldn't keep this up without you. I'd have probably quit it before now.

This one's for my boyfriend, who practically chained me to the laptop at one point, and all my friends at sailor-moon-live, for their encouragement and helpful ideas. I owe you guys *grins*

STAGE ON! ~Eb~

Serena parted ways with Blaze outside the ice cream parlour with a smile and a wave. Spending time with the disguised Fireball Princess was fun and had a certain thrill to it that came from the risk of being discovered. Blaze had enabled her to forget about Darien for a while.

Serena's pace slowed as her thoughts crashed to a standstill. Darien. For that brief while she had forgotten. But now . . .

Serena shook her head, dislodging tears from the corners of her eyes, and began to run.

'He broke up with me!'

'I cant believe it!'

'Why, Darien? Why did you do it again?'

Serena ran blindly. She didn't know where she was running to, only that she was running. There was a terrible pain in her chest and she had to run. Run anywhere. Run away.

*

Seiya was walking along a path to head out of the park when someone ran past him. Turning he recognised the blonde hair and called out to her, but Serena was already either too far away or too deep in her pain to hear him. His hand froze in mid-air as he saw a glittering droplet on the back of his hand. A tear.

'She's crying?'

He looked up and a determined spark entered his eye as he sped off after her.

'Damn it Odango you don't have to go through this alone!' he thought desperately. 'I won't let you go through this alone!'

He reached a fork in the path and looked every way he could see. No sign. He growled in his throat at the problem. 'Nothing for it.'

Seiya closed his eyes and focused intently until his surroundings faded from his mind and he was standing in the void left behind.

'Find her.'

He concentrated on her and only her.

'Find her light.'

Her smile and laughter.

'Find her shine.'

Her love and pain. Her tears and her joy.

'So I may protect her.'

A faint flicker in the abyss ahead of him. It flickered once, twice, three times. Quicker and quicker until it was a single steady pulse of light.

'Now guide me to her.'

He opened his eyes and the park returned. But now he could sense her very spirit. He could see her glow overlying the surroundings. It was like a trail of shimmering stardust that he had to follow before it faded forever.

Seiya ran and ran, urging himself to newer faster speeds, until he thought his heart and lungs would burst from lack of oxygen and still he ran. His only thoughts were of her.

'Please let me get there before something happens.'

He came to a stop when he saw her shine as a steady glowing shape. Blinked and he could see a screen of willows. He could also hear her sobs.

'Odango.' The thought of her being in so much pain tore him in two. He walked slowly towards her hiding place quietly, not wanting to scare her off. He stopped just beyond the fringe of green leaves.

"Why, Darien? Why would you do this to me again?"

Seiya clenched both fists and gritted his teeth. Mina had called him to tell him what was happening and Seiya had voiced his opinion of the Earthen Prince in loud angry tones. Mina had agreed and hung up. Seiya had ranted around the apartment angrily, saying that Darien was killing her slowly. And here was his proof.

He couldn't stand it when she was in pain like this! She should never be hurt like this! She didn't deserve to have anything bad happen to her! She was too pure and sweet and good for anything bad to happen to her.

Her voice sounded broken and agonised and it wasn't right! Hers should be light and happy.

He parted the veil of leaves quietly, hoping their rustle didn't disturb her. She didn't hear anything over her tears and her heartbreak. Now he could see her.

The surface of the pond behind her glittered as it reflected the sunlight onto her figure, making her appear to glow. Her petit frame shook with her sobs, her knees drawn up to her chest, arms folded atop them and her face buried in the nest they created. She was sitting on the bank of grass beneath the willow, crying. Her soul torn apart.

'Odango . . .' he thought sadly. He felt he couldn't move, only watch her as she cried her pain. His expression was a mixture of intense feelings. Love; he loved her no matter what anyone said or did. Anger; how dare that Terran make her hurt so. Helplessness; 'I shouldn't just stand here, I should comfort her or leave her to her tears.' Admiration; she was so brave, trying to deal with it alone so as not to worry anyone else.

He felt moisture on his cheeks and raised a hand to find out why. His fingertips were coated with water when he took them away from his skin. Tears. He was crying. But he never cried. His gaze went from the glittering drops on his fingertips to the angel before him and was filled with a new resolve.

'I will take away this pain that you feel. At the very least I will lessen it. I am Seiya Kou, Sailor StarFighter, and I do not lose. I will not lose now.'

He moved cat-quietly towards her and wrapped her in his arms.

*

Serena stopped crying abruptly and raised her head a little, eyes wide with shock as she felt the sudden warmth of a solid body behind her.

"Don't cry, Odango." was the gentle plea.

She drew in breath, not daring to look to confirm what her mind and heart told her.

"Odango, please, don't cry. It doesn't suit you."

She turned her head and was met by a navy blue shirt covering a broad flat chest. She could feel the muscles beneath the cloth. She could feel the person resting their head on hers. The arms around her held her securely but didn't restrict her. She watched long silky blue-black hair fall over his shoulder and before her crystal-blue eyes.

"Seiya?" she whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

"I'm here." he answered her gently, much more calmly than he actually felt. "Don't worry, I'm here now." he raised one hand to stroke her hair reassuringly.

Serena felt her eyes water again and gave in to a fresh round of tears. She returned the embrace, burying her head in his chest, arms moving to encircle his waist to hold him tight as she cried again.

Seiya said nothing more, only held her and stroked her hair gently until the sobs subsided into hiccoughs. He was acting far more gently and calmly than he felt. He wanted to find Shields and rip his throat out for hurting her so badly, but he held the impulse in check and stayed where he was because Serena needed him more than Darien needed a kick up the rear. He continued to hold her when her own grip around him relaxed, and allowed her the freedom to move when she moved back a little to look up at him.

"Seiya, why are you here? How did you find me?" her voice was a little thick from crying so much, but was still as gentle and kind as he remembered.

"You ran past me in the park." he explained softly. "I followed. I couldn't leave you alone while you are in so much pain." his eyes were soft, glittering blue in the reflected light from the pond. In that moment they truly looked as though some higher power had taken the clear midnight sky and all it's stars and captured them in the eyes of a mortal.

It was a look she recognised, the same heartbroken expression from the school rooftop the last time he'd been on Earth. Again his voice echoed in her head; 'Am I not good enough?'

"Everyone is worried about you." Seiya continued. She broke free of her thoughts to listen. "Mina called me last night to tell me what had happened. She asked me to make sure you were alright."

At the mention of last night she lay her head on his chest again and fresh tears came to her eyes. She was amazed there were any left.

"I'd have come to talk to you even if she'd told me to stay away regardless." Seiya admitted. "I can't heal until I know you're happy and safe."

She gazed up at him again. Now he was staring at the water, not at her. She followed his gaze.

"I'm sorry I worried everyone." she said quietly.

Seiya blinked and looked back at her. He could see the tears in those blue depths, the sad serenity of her face. In that instant she appeared to be the Princess that Kakyuu had told her StarLights Serena was. A young, heartbroken Princess that had given everything up for the kingdom that she loved so dearly.

"It's ok. I'll call Mina in a minute and tell her I found you. She called your home and your mom told her you were out. She phoned me sounding a little worried." he took his phone out of his pocket as he spoke and proceeded to type out a message.

"Tell her I'm sorry." Serena repeated.

"Odango . . ." he sent the text and looked up to see her now watching him. "You have nothing to apologise for. We're all concerned for you; you've just broken up with you boyfriend of several years," Seiya's voice was tense but then the emotion vanished, "you're going through a rough patch. Of course we'll be worried."

Serena gave him a watery smile and Seiya took a deep breath. 'Now or never right?'

"Odango," his hesitant tone had her turning to look at him immediately, "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

The watery smile vanished to be replaced by a frown. She wasn't sure if she did want to. She caught sight of Seiya staring seriously at the pond again and the frown vanished too. She remembered that he hadn't really liked Darien. So he wouldn't like talking about Darien now; she could feel him getting a little tenser.

'He's trying to help again. Trying to get me to talk about what I'm feeling.'

She sighed and decided she might as well.

"Darien and I . . . we haven't exactly been close lately." she began slowly.

Seiya watched her from the corner of his eye, remembering Mina's words in the apartment; "Then again, he isn't really talking to Serena or most of the Senshi at the minute so . . ."

"We drifted apart. It's been happening for a while really, I suppose. We didn't see or call each other so often, and the time in between got longer. The rift between us wider." she paused, considering admitting something to him. "I kept comparing him to someone else, not out loud of course but . . . I think he sensed it."

'Comparing him to who?' Seiya thought a little bitterly. Then he caught on; 'Wait! Surely not . . .'

"Then he started acting weird, working later, he got really defensive." she smiled but it was humourless, "We fought more and more. Over little things." she looked at him. "Then we saw you four at the restaurant."

Seiya spluttered a little but she raised a hand to silence him.

"It's not your fault, it's mine. I should have realised." she stared back at the pond. "I just never realised he was so jealous."

Seiya continued staring at her. He couldn't believe he was hearing this. Darien was jealous of him? When Darien had Serena and not Seiya?

"We didn't speak for a couple of days after that. When we did speak we argued. He accused you of trying to put the moves on me last time you were here." she ignored Seiya's part-guilt part-anger grimace. "No matter what I said, it came down to one thing."

Seiya watched a tear slip down her smooth cheek.

"He just didn't trust me anymore."

Seiya watched helplessly as she dissolved into tears again. All he felt he could do was hold her again until she stopped.

He didn't get it. When he'd left three years ago he had left her happy and safe. Darien was back from the dead and she had all her Senshi around her again. She had been happy. And with no more evil to threaten the Earth or the rest of the Solar System, he had left her safe. Now he was back and she was no where near the happy girl he remembered.

She stopped eventually and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to dry her eyes. "I'm sorry Seiya, you're all wet." She gave him a watery smile, or attempted to anyway. It made his heart break more to see her attempts at covering up her sadness.

He didn't care for the shirt. He'd slipped out of the apartment in jeans and a navy t-shirt and sunglasses hoping he wouldn't be recognised by his fans. The t-shirt was old and didn't matter. She mattered.

"It's fine, Serena. Really I don't mind." he smiled at her warmly and some of the spark seemed to return to her eyes. "I'm sorry to make you re-live it, and I'm even more sorry that you're hurting so much. And that I can't really seem to be able to take it away."

Serena noticed that his eyes became darker as a distance came about him. No, not a distance. A sadness that made him seem far away. That heartbroken expression had returned to his eyes. Suddenly he didn't seem as confidant as before.

"Seiya, are you ok?"

He looked up at her, the dark blue eyes that had previously been so sad were now cautious and curious. He realised he was worrying her and smiled, nodding, a mask of warmth and happiness falling into place.

She didn't buy it. "Why did you guys come back now? You didn't before, despite our invitation."

He was taken aback. She had put aside her own misery for the time being and was focusing on him.

Seiya cleared his throat, unsure of what to say. This was like talking to Mina all over again. Only worse, because this was Serena. "There were some problems on Kinmoku." he explained vaguely, remembering how Yaten had told Mina. "Nothing Senshi related but . . . Our Princess decided we needed a vacation. She sent . . . She sent us here to heal."

Serena didn't miss the pauses. "What happened? Not an enemy?"

Seiya caught the worried tone of her voice at the thought of a new enemy and hastened to reassure her. "No, it wasn't an enemy." he smiled when she exhaled slowly in relief.

Seiya stood up abruptly and Serena looked at him in surprise.

"I'll walk you home." he explained with a shrug. "It's getting cold out."

"Oh, you don't have to." she said quickly.

Seiya met her gaze with a cheeky grin. "Of course I have to Odango. If I didn't, I'd be too worried you'd get yourself run over."