Pairing: Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon) x Seiya Kou (Sailor Star Fighter)

Fandom: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon

Theme: #22. cradle

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Tsukino Usagi, Seiya Kou, and any of the other characters that may be mentioned in this drabble are not my property, but belong to the amazing Naoko Takeuchi. I do, however, take responsibility for whatever cheesy lines the two may say. .

A/N: ... Real life is very busy for me now, what with adjusting to college and applying to orgs and whatnot. But never fear! The really busy part will be over soon ... I hope. So please bear with me, my beloved readers! In the meantime, I bring you some Seiya/Usagi angst. Enjoy? XD

Moon Tears

"Ne, why does it rain?"

Seiya turns his head to see Usagi at the large window of the penthouse apartment, her hands pressed to the glass as she watched the pitter-patter of raindrops against the cool surface and all of Tokyo. Carefully, he slips out of bed, wrapping a sheet around himself as he walks up to her.

"It rains ... Because the stars are crying," he says, bringing up his hands to touch the soft white skin left uncovered by the flimsy bed sheet wrapped around her body. His thumbs caress the reflections of raindrops playing about her skin, tracing their paths as they slide down her arms and into the darkness.

"What if the Moon cries? What happens then?" she suddenly asks. He stops stroking her skin and carefully maneuvers her around so that she is facing him. It is dark - only the pale moonshine offers a source of light in the dark room - but he can still make out the faint glimmer in her eyes.

"Well ..." he starts measuredly, wrapping his arms around her lithe form. "When the Moon cries ... Winds rage, thunder booms and lightning strikes ... And everyone on Earth feels the Moon's pain." As if to emphasize his explanation, a burst of lightning streaks across the night sky, closely followed by a loud rumble of thunder and a great rush of wind.

Usagi buries her face into Seiya's chest, clinging to him desperately as if she were drowning. "The Earth feels pain?" she whimpers. Her entire body shakes furiously against him, and Seiya feels his heart break. He draws her closer to him, feeling the little tremors that run all along her body. Her mouth moves frantically against his skin, and it takes him a while to realize what she keeps repeating - "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He lifts her up into his arms and carries her away from the rain-soaked window. Gently, he sits down upon the king-sized bed and shifts her body in his arms until she is cradled against him like a little child. He makes soft shushing noises, occasionally humming pieces of yet unfinished songs, until her cries dull down to a mere trembling and the occasional hitched breath.

"Not just the Earth," he suddenly remarks, and she looks up at him confusedly. "It's not just the Earth that feels pain," Seiya elaborates, threading his hand through her long, golden locks. "The planets ... The galaxy ... The entire universe feels the Moon's pain."

Usagi stays quiet, contemplating Seiya's words, but crying has exhausted her greatly, and soon she is lulled into a dreamless sleep, her tears still glimmering wetly along her dark lashes. Seiya shifts her slightly, enough for him to see her face. He raises his hand, tracing the tracks of wetness along her cheeks. He wipes the tears away, marveling at how much they looked like pearls in the dim light.

Carefully, he tilts his head down, pressing a soft kiss to each eyelid and tasting the salt of her tears. He closes his eyes, feeling a familiar bittersweet emotion rise through his body and pierce his heart. Two tears plop wetly from his eyes, landing on Usagi's cheeks and mingling with the remnants of her own.

"The stars feel your pain, too, Usagi. And that is why they cry."

Review Replies:

CrazyMonkeyPantsIII - Yeah, I think only Usagi's able to do that to him. XD So sorry for the delay! Hope you like this one, too. :)

Counterfeiting Shakespeare - That's probably the only thing that will effectively keep that boy quiet for at least five minutes. XD I like giving the other characters cameos. They're such an interesting bunch and such fun to play with. :D

SeleneHarker - Aw ... Boo for eating up reviews! D: But thank you very much for taking the time to review. I'm glad you liked it!

Sailor Sar - Yep. Too much fluff may also be bad for you. I think my next few drabbles will be taking a bit of a darker theme. Hm ... Depends on whatever ideas I'm struck with. XD

LoveSunshinex - Aw ... I'm so glad you like them! So very very sorry for not updating soon. I hope to come up with drabbles faster this time, though! Thank you very much!

Suki - XD Well, considering that he comes from a different planet, his true gender is female, and the limited amount of time he's spent on Earth (especially since most of that time was devoted to searching for Kakyuu), I thought it would be fitting. :3

Cheshiresara - Wow, an Italian fan? Yay for international support of Seiya/Usagi! XD Yeah, dubs can change the intended meanings a LOT. Even scanlations, if they're not done right. I think Mamoru's okay ... But Seiya/Usagi's a lot better. XD Thank you for taking the time to review! English isn't my first language, either, so we're in the same boat here. :D

LittleGirlInLove - No review is too late! Any review that you send, regardless of how far it is from the posted date, will give the author the same amount of feeling you intended it as one sent right after it was published. :3 Yes, they are a very sweet couple. I'm hoping that other authors will get encouraged to write for this lovely couple, too. Thank you for the review. :D