A/N: Enjoy!

I had fallen asleep on the sofa with Shingo and Mika by the time that the Starlights returned home. I was curled up one side, and Shingo and Mika were all cuddled up on the other, with Luna and Artemis stretched out on the floor in front of us. I startled awake when I felt the hand on my shoulder, and my instinct was to scream before I recognized Seiya's face, leaning over me. She had her finger against her lips in a request for silence. My heart was pounding, but I nodded. I got up, rubbing absently at my neck. It felt like there was a huge knot in the muscle and it ached as I made my way around the end of the couch and followed Seiya into the kitchen.

Chibi-Chibi was the first one to see me. Her face lit up and she toddled over to me, her arms outstretched. I scooped her up, feeling guilty for my anger earlier, and buried my face in her sweet-smelling hair while she wrapped her hands around my neck. I couldn't really blame her for wanting to see Kakyuu, considering that she had protected the princess for as long as she had. I took a minute to collect myself for the conversation that I knew was coming. At last, I pulled my head away and looked at her. "It's past time for you to be in bed," I said.

"I'll take her," Yaten volunteered.

"No," Seiya said. "Just put her down on the couch for now. We can do it in a minute."

I knew what she was thinking. She wanted all of us to be there for the conversation that was about to happen, and I couldn't blame her. It certainly wasn't one I wanted to have more than once. I went back into the living room and set Chibi-Chibi down beside Shingo. Even though he wouldn't have remembered her, she didn't have the same problem. She wasted no time in snuggling up beside him, and within a minute she was out. I lingered for a moment longer and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. There was something deep in my chest that ached when I looked at her, but it was a sweet pain. I wanted to protect Chibi-Chibi from all of the bad things in the world. I didn't know if I would be able to do that, and it hurt.

I couldn't stand there all night, though, and at last I turned away from the sofa and moved towards the back of the apartment. I knew where they would be waiting for me, and I was right. I stepped into Seiya's room and pushed the door closed behind me. Yaten was lying on the bed. She looked exhausted. Taiki was sitting at the end, and Seiya was pacing back and fourth. I surveyed the three of them for a moment before I spoke. "Is that it, then? Has Kakyuu gone into the Galaxy Cauldron?"

"Yes," Taiki said, looking up at me. In the semi-darkness, her face was tired and sad. "She wasn't able to remain with us for very long. Her power was… not strong enough. She did say that when she returned, she would find us."

"I'm sure she will," I said reassuringly, wishing that I could say something better than that. I knew exactly how they were feeling. It was lovely to be able to say good-bye, but it was so hard to be left behind. "If she's reborn soon, it won't be that long before you see her again." Only anywhere from ten years to a lifetime. The thought turned my stomach.

"You left," Seiya said suddenly, cutting off whatever Taiki had been about to say. She was looking at me with wide, pained eyes. "We were looking around for you, and you were just gone."

"Yes, I did." It hurt a little to know that they had been so preoccupied with Kakyuu that they hadn't even noticed me going, but I pushed it aside. Now was not the time to occupy myself with petty bitterness. "I'm sorry if you were worried. But I figured that you would want some time to yourselves to get used to the fact that she was really gone. And frankly, so did I." I realized at that moment that what I was saying was true. I had needed a few minutes to not think about anything relating to the senshi, and that included the Starlights. After spending some time with Unazuki, Shingo and Mika, I felt strangely rejuvenated.

"You could have stayed," she began.

I cut her off. "And listen to you guys talk to Princess Kakyuu about how much you miss her? Sorry, but that's not really my cup of tea." Oops. There might have been a little too much honesty in that. I hurried on. "Look, I had my cell phone with me. It was on. You could've called me, and you must have known through our bond that I was alright. You would've felt it if something was wrong."

"That didn't stop us from being worried," Taiki said gently, her eyes darting between Seiya and me. "Usagi, is there something wrong? You seem… unusually tense tonight."

I didn't know what made me say it. Maybe it was the talk I'd had earlier with Shingo, or maybe it was the fact that they were all staring at me and I was terrified they would find out too much. In any event, I lifted my chin and I said, very calmly and very clearly, "I'm pregnant."

Dumbfounded silence was the response, which was better than outraged silence. I looked at each of them and met their eyes so that they would see I was telling the truth. "Before you ask, the baby is Mamo-chan's. He visited me in a dream one night just after the battle. I don't know what happened, but we… you know… and I think I wanted it so much that ginzuishou actually made it happen. It made things real enough that I was able to get pregnant even though he wasn't actually here." I touched my locket. The ginzuishou's power was mysterious even to me sometimes. I wondered if they would understand that.

"Is that even possible?" Yaten asked, sitting up on the bed. "How do you know?"

"When I was at the hospital, they gave me a test," I admitted.

Seiya breathed in sharply. "When we left, you were so upset," she said. "I wondered what was wrong. But you said - "

"I know. I'm sorry. I just wasn't ready to tell you. I was completely unprepared for it," I told her. "It shocked me. I've wanted to tell you, but I wasn't sure how. I know it's going to change everything once I can't hide it anymore."

"The media is going to go crazy," Taiki murmured in a sudden burst of understanding. She looked grim. "They're going to be convinced that one of us is the father."

"Exactly," I said, shivering a little at hearing someone else come to the conclusion that had been haunting me for weeks. "I know I should have told you before, but…" I shook my head and wrapped my arms around myself. I felt like I had to try and explain my decision to keep the baby, tell them why I was letting this potentially ruin my life. "I think - there's a chance - it could be Chibi-Usa."

At the sound of the name, Seiya flinched like I'd reached out and hit her. I looked at her desperately, wanting to close the distance between us and hug her, but not certain that I should. "I'm sorry," I said, knowing that the words were a paltry offer considering the life-changing information that I was dealing out to them. "I can't know for sure, but..."

"But if there's a chance, you have to see it through," Taiki filled in, and when I looked at her, her face was filled with sympathy. "We understand."

Do you? I felt like asking, even though I knew that I couldn't. Taiki might, and maybe even Yaten would, but I wasn't at all confident that Seiya was going to. I stared at her, yearning for some sort of sign that she was okay with this, but she wasn't looking at me. She was staring out the window with a vacant look in her eyes, and I knew that she wasn't even here in the room with us. I clenched my hands into fists and took a deep breath, fighting to keep my composure as I looked back at Yaten and Taiki. The two of them were watching me, waiting for whatever I was going to say next.

"I'm not telling you this so that I can put a bunch of extra pressure on you," I said. "Like you said, the media is going to go insane once they find out, and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hide it. Sooner or later, I'll begin to show and it will be obvious."

"We'll think of something," Taiki said, though it was clear she had no idea what. I knew that this wasn't the time to share the idea of me leaving. It would only get them even more upset, especially when they would be feeling even more obligated towards me in light of Princess Kakyuu's disappearance. No, I would keep that to myself until I knew whether it was the only option. There was, however, something more important that I had to talk to them about.

"Rubeus was part of the Black Moon Family. They originally came here to the past so that they could hunt down Chibi-Usa and the ginzuishou she'd stolen." I cleared my throat. Just saying this was enough to make my hands shake. No battle was more terrifying to me than when my daughter was involved. I'd always done everything I could to make sure Chibi-Usa was safe, even if it meant sacrificing my own life. But this time, I couldn't do that. I didn't know how to protect her and it scared me. "He knows who she is. If he finds out I'm pregnant, he'll be even more determined to kill me so that she won't be born."

That seemed to jolt Seiya out of whatever daze she had fallen into. She turned to face me. "That won't happen," she said, reaching out for my hands. I allowed her to take them and was surprised by how warm and soft her grip was. "We'll protect you, Odango. Both of you."

My eyes filled with tears. It felt so good to hear someone say that, even if I knew that promise could very well be filled only at the cost of their lives. I would never let that happen, but I loved her all the more for saying it in the first place. "I'm sorry," I choked out. "I should have told you sooner."

"Shh, it's okay." She pulled me closer and slipped her arms around my waist. I wrapped my hands around her back and pressed my face against her shoulder, trembling all over. I felt her place a kiss on the top of my head, and then a moment later there was additional warmth at my back and on either side, and two more sets of arms were being woven around us. I hadn't felt that safe for a very long time, and at that moment it was exactly what I needed. I wanted to stay there forever.

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