A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I know this story is kind of angsty; it'll get better after a while. Maybe. Enjoy!

My legs were shaking with nerves as Seiya and I walked towards my house. It had been decided that having Yaten and Taiki there might be a little overwhelming for my family, but no one had suggested I go on my own and for that I was thankful. It was the first time I'd been out of the apartment since the battle and I had both hands clutching at Seiya's arm as I flinched away from anyone else who came close. No matter what I did, I couldn't rid myself of the irrational fear that she would disappear if I let go. I knew it wasn't true, I knew that I was being foolish, but that's part of what fear is. Sometimes it didn't make sense and this was one of those times.

"Odango, are you sure you're ready for this?" Seiya asked me as we stopped in front of the house. "We don't have to go in. We can turn around and go back."

"No," I said in a wavering voice. "But I have to. I can't let my family think that I'm dead any longer, Seiya. It's not right."

She sighed, which meant she agreed with me, and put a hand to the back of my head. Yaten had braided my hair for me. It fell almost all the way down to my calves. "Come on then. Let's get this over with."

It was almost an instinct to reach for the doorbell when we finally got to the door. This no longer felt like my home. I had to remind myself that I had the right to open the door without knocking. It was very quiet inside as I pushed it open and for a moment I thought no one was home. But then I heard the sound of my mother's voice coming from the kitchen. Seiya and I stepped forward at the same time. Neither of us bothered to take our shoes off as we moved towards the kitchen together. My mother was standing over the stove, singing softly along with the radio.

"Mom?" I said.

I saw her freeze in the middle of cutting up a potato. Her hands started to shake and her shoulders hunched and for a long moment she didn't move. Then all of a sudden she whirled around, and her eyes were wide and glossy with tears. "Usagi," she whispered. "Oh my god… Usagi!" she shouted that loud word and then she rushed across the room and grabbed both me and Seiya in a hug so tight I squeaked.

There was the sound of running footsteps and then my dad and Shingo hurried in. I had a split second to register the surprise on their faces and then they were joining in on the hug, even Shingo, who threw his arms around my waist and clung to me. I could tell that the embrace made Seiya a little uncomfortable but she was willing to bear it for me, and I took her hand and squeezed it, hoping she would know how much it meant that she had chosen to come. Judging by the way she looked at me, she did, and that made me feel even warmer inside as my mother finally backed off to let us breathe.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," she kept saying, holding onto my free hand. "You're alive. We thought you were dead!"

"I'm sorry," I said, biting my lip. "I didn't mean to make you worry. I've staying with my friends all this time." I held up Seiya's hand like it would be some sort of proof. "I should've contacted you sooner but I was sick. I'm sorry."

"You were sick?" Mom's eyes widened and she looked me over. "You weren't… hurt?"

"Not badly," Seiya said immediately and I could have hugged her for cutting them off at the pass. "Not nearly enough to go the hospital. She was never in any real danger." She caught my eye as she said that and I had to take a deep breath to keep down the hysterical laughter that wanted to escape. We had been in more danger than anyone, and if I hadn't been a senshi I would have died, but both of us knew that there was no reason for that to be shared with anyone else.

"Thank god," Mom said, and she put a hand over her heart as her shoulders slumped. "I was hoping that would be the case, but with every day that went by I thought for sure that you..." She stared at me, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"I'm okay," I said, patting her arm gently. "Really, Mom, I'm fine."

She nodded. "Why don't you and your friend go sit down at the table with Shingo."

It wasn't a question. Shingo immediately turned and walked into the dining room. Seiya followed him. I turned my head and looked back at my parents before I went after them, and I was just in time to see my father wrapping my mother up in a huge hug. The ferocity of their embrace made my heart ache. I hadn't meant to frighten them and I felt guilty for having putting so much of a toll on them. I could see that the last few weeks had aged them both; there were new lines in Mom's face and Dad had a few gray hairs where there hadn't been any before. I wondered what they would say if I told them that I no longer wanted to live at home with them but instead wanted to stay with the Starlights. I hadn't discussed it with them yet but it was what I wanted, just not what I thought I would get.

"Nee-chan," Shingo's voice called to me and I looked over at him. He was sitting at the table but there was no sign of Seiya. Pure fear constricted my chest and Shingo rose to his feet quickly, looking alarmed. "Usagi, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Seiya said from right behind me. Her voice was accompanied by a strong, reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I was just using the bathroom, that's all."

It must have been the fastest trip to the bathroom in the world – that, or she was trying to test how far away from me she could get before I panicked. I hoped it wasn't that. I sat down at the table and she sat next to me, her thigh pressed against mine. My parents came in a couple of minutes later with platters of rice and grilled fish and vegetables. There was more than enough for the five of us and I wondered why Mom had made so much for only three people, until I caught the way she was looking at me, all misty-eyed, and I realized she'd probably been praying for this to happen.

I told them a little more about what had happened while we ate, though I was careful about how many details I gave. I didn't want to say anything that I might contradict later. "I got caught at the temple," I told them, "And I was separated from the others. Seiya found me and brought me back to the apartment he shares with Yaten-kun and Taiki-san." It was hard to remember to refer to Seiya as a "he" instead of a "she". They'd been female since the battle and I hadn't taken long to get used to that even though I'd originally known them as boys. Strange how fast lines could be crossed.

"I suppose the road blocks were keeping you there," said Dad.

I nodded. It was as good an excuse as any. "The downtown is a real mess," I confirmed. "Concrete and debris everywhere, fallen trees, glass… No cars or buses allowed and even walking is slow. The telephone lines are down, too." I didn't know if that was true but at least it was an explanation for why I hadn't called.

"You poor thing," Mom said, looking at me sympathetically. "Thank God you're finally home."

My stomach curdled and I put my chopsticks down. I hadn't eaten much and my appetite was now entirely non-existent. "Mom…"

"Dessert," she said. "I'll get dessert."

She was gone before I could say anything.

Shingo said, "It's been hard for her, you know. We thought you were dead." There was a strange look in his eyes that I couldn't identify. It wasn't anger. Relief maybe?

"I know. I thought the same thing might have happened to you," I said quietly. The destruction had extended so far. Any of them could have been killed. I was so glad they were alright because I didn't think I could've taken another death, but it made me feel guilty for wanting to go back with Seiya.

"Have you heard from your friends?" Dad asked.

It was a reasonable question to ask but hearing it made me feel like someone had punched me in the stomach. Speechless, unable to squeeze any words out, I just shook my head numbly. Seiya reached out and put her hand on top of mine. She said, "We keep hoping that we're going to hear something, that it will turn out a miracle has happened, but there comes a point when you have to face reality and accept that sometimes things don't always turn out the way you want them to."

I turned my hand over so that our fingers could intertwine and clung to her. There would be no miracle, not this time.

Mom came back into the room carrying a small cake on a platter before Dad could respond. It looked delicious, vanilla ice cream decorated with fresh strawberries, and I wondered where she'd gotten the fruit from. She put it on the table and sat down, wielding a knife to cut it with. Her eyes glanced briefly around the room and I watched them land on our joined hands. I saw the jolt that passed through her as she processed what she was seeing. Her hand tightened briefly around the knife. I could guess what she thought it meant. She looked up at me and her lips parted to speak. I didn't want to hear what she had to say. I spoke first.

"I want to go back with Seiya."

In retrospect, it might not have been the best time to say it, but then, I didn't know if there was a good time. Mom was thinking I was home for good and I wanted to get that notion out of her head as quickly as possible. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't. Seiya's hand tightened around mine and when I looked at her she was staring at me in outright shock. Mom had gone very still and quiet. Dad was frowning. Shingo was the only one who didn't seem to be overly surprised by my statement.

"It's too dangerous," Mom said at last. "You can visit later."

I took a deep breath. "Not to visit. To live."

Seiya was holding my hand so tight it hurt.

"Usagi." Mom stared at me. This had hit her out of the blue. She didn't know how to respond. "You live here. You belong here, with your family. You're only sixteen years old."

"You don't understand." Humiliatingly enough, my voice broke. "I don't. I belong with them. Please, I have to. Don't make me leave them." My free hand was starting to shake and I put under the table in my lap in the hopes that no one would notice. "I came to see you because I wanted you to know that I was alright, but I… I…" I couldn't say anymore. The room went blurry as hot tears welled up in my eyes.

Seiya let go of my hand and wrapped her arm around my shoulders and I fell against her gratefully, glad for the chance to hide my face from the world. I sobbed once and she shushed me, her hand stroking my hair. "My brothers and I would be relieved to have Usagi stay with us," she said. "Please consider her request."

I turned my head and looked at my parents pleadingly. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking. I could only choke out, "Please" and hope for the best.

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