A/N: I hope no one minds this chapter. It's probably edging up there in terms of the rating, but - it is what it is, and I'll say no more. Enjoy!

I saw Shingo off with the most cheerful smile that I could muster. Much to my relief he seemed to take it at face value, and I waited a full minute after the door had closed before I allowed my smile to fade. I was sure the expression on my face looked awful at that moment, but I couldn't keep myself composed anymore. I wanted to run out of the apartment, but I realized that I no longer dared. I felt like stepping outside would make me vulnerable, that I would run the risk of there being some invisible sign on my forehead that proclaimed me as Sailor Moon. It was a horrible feeling, especially when I didn't know what would happen if my identity was found out. Would they really just ask me questions, or would this world I had fought so hard for turn me over without a second thought?

By the time I reached Seiya's door, I was crying. The tears were rolling down my face silently. I could hear sounds behind Taiki's and Yaten's doors that meant they were up and getting dressed, but as I suspected Seiya was still in bed. She was always the last one up, and getting her going usually involved Taiki and a cold glass of water. I pushed her door open and looked inside the darkened room. The only sign that Seiya was in there was the big lump of rolled up covers right in the middle of the bed, but I knew it was her. I crept across the floor and crawled onto the free side of the bed, resting my head on my hands. I was only there for a few seconds before the blankets shifted and parted, allowing me entrance.

"What's wrong?" Seiya said, her voice thick and hazy with sleep as I scooted over next to her. I shook my head and pressed myself against her, breathing in her sleep-warm scent. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of panties, and her skin was heated everywhere that we touched. It felt so good. I tucked my face into the curve of her neck and shoulder and stayed there until I felt her hand come to rest on the top of my head, her fingers combing lazily through my hair. Though her breathing deepened, I knew she was not asleep. She was waiting for me to answer.

"Everyone is looking for me," I revealed at last, shivering. Even though it was warm under the covers, I couldn't seem to stop feeling chilled. "Shingo showed me the news program. Everyone in town wants to know who Sailor Moon is!"

Seiya didn't say anything for a long moment, long enough for me to wonder if maybe she had fallen asleep after all. Then she sighed against the top of my head and said, "I thought this might happen."

"You did? Why didn't you tell me?"

"And let you worry about it all night?" she said wryly. "I know you better than that, Odango. You would've stayed up for hours wondering if there was going to be some sort of manhunt for you, and I didn't know if it was actually going to happen. It seems that I was right, though." She sighed. "People are the same no matter what world they come from. In the end, they all want to save themselves no matter what that means for the people they have to step on in the process."

I thought about that. It wasn't right that we should all be so callous. I wanted to live in a world where everyone could band together, where people would understand that it was much better to put our strength together instead of standing apart. "That's not right," I said, my voice shaking. "I want to protect everyone. I will, if they give me the chance. Why can't they let me try?"

"I don't know," Seiya said quietly. "They wouldn't let Princess Kakyuu try, either."

I opened my eyes at that and looked up at her. I was gradually getting used to the darkness, and now I could make out her face. Her eyes were shut and her lips were pressed tightly together. Obviously she was remembering something that was painful. It probably wasn't my place to be nosy, but I felt that I had to ask. "What do you mean?"

"We knew that Galaxia would be coming for our planet. She didn't make any attempt to mask the order that she was going in, and it was obvious to anyone who bothered to do the calculations that we would be next. Some people left for planets that they deemed safer, hoping that Galaxia would be stopped before she got any further. I don't think any of them came as far as Earth, though, so I doubt they survived either." She paused and then sighed heavily. "Princess Kakyuu did not want to stand down. She wanted to fight Galaxia. She was convinced that if everyone on all of the planets around us stood together, we could win. But her advisors on Kinmoku refused to let her try. They forced her to leave, and we had to follow."

I studied her face, trying to decide what she was thinking. "In the end, you did the right thing," I said finally. "You guys wouldn't have been strong enough to bring down Galaxia. You know that, don't you? You would have died, just like everyone else, and she would have come to Earth and destroyed us all."

"I know." Seiya finally opened her eyes and gave me a thin smile. "I do know that, Odango, believe me. But I'll never forget the look on Princess Kakyuu's face when she realized that she would have to abandon her planet. She was heartbroken, and I think she went a little - well. As the hands of Chaos approached she left without us after a fight, and we had to chase after her. In our absence, Galaxia destroyed the planet."

"I'm sorry," I said. The words seemed inadequate in the face of everything that they had gone through. I thought I knew then what was really bothering Seiya. She and Yaten and Taiki all felt guilty for having left their planet to be destroyed, and no matter how many times I pointed out that ultimately that decision had saved us all it would not help. In their eyes, in their hearts, they still felt like they should have done more to save Kinmoku. It was something I had struggled with myself before.

Seiya ran her fingers through my hair again and pressed her face to the top of my head. "We won't stop you fighting, but I need you to be careful," she said clearly. "You're all we've got left, Odango. I couldn't bear it if we lost you too."

My eyes filled with tears. "I'll try not to let that happen," I promised. It wasn't what she wanted to hear, I knew, but it was the only truth I could give her. Because I would gladly sacrifice myself to save the Earth and the rest of the world, and I knew that Seiya knew it. If I had to kill myself to make sure that Rubeus went down with me, then so be it.

She looked at me like she knew exactly what I was thinking, but to my relief she didn't try to press the issue. She squeezed my hands and kissed me again, this time on my cheek, before she let go and rolled off of the bed. I knew that I had to get up, but I stayed where I was for a minute longer. I touched the spot where she'd kissed me and took a shaky breath. Under the covers the bed smelled like Seiya, a little bit like olive flowers and vanilla ice cream and her body wash, honey and citrus. It was a scent that was becoming very familiar to me, one that I took comfort in. Was now the right time?

"Seiya," I said, pushing the covers back and sitting up. Even though I knew it was crazy, I was seized with the urge to tell her how I felt.

"Your hair is a mess," she said. She was watching me in the mirror, and she was smiling. I tried to smile back, but honestly it was like all of the words that had been in my mind had diappeared because at that moment she took off her tank top. She wasn't wearing a bra underneath, so I got a good look at her breasts as she reached for her underwear drawer. Larger than mine, her skin was supple and tanned, and I nearly swallowed my tongue at the sight of two pert nipples.

It was the first time that I had consciously acknowledged that I could definitely be aroused by a woman. I'd never really put much thought into before. Of course I'd had Mamo-chan, and there had never been a reason for me to. Haruka had been attractive, but I wouldn't have called her beautiful. Seiya was beautiful. She was only wearing panties, and I wanted to get up and touch her. I ached to put my hands on her, to know in detail exactly how her skin would feel beneath my fingers, and I wanted her to touch me in return. I thought about doing that, wanted it so much my hands were shaking, and felt my face flush.

"Are you alright?" she asked, turning to face me as she hooked her bra on. She did it so expertly it was hard to believe she had been living as a man for months.

"I'm fine," I said. My mouth had gone very dry, because somehow she looked even sexier in just her underwear now that I knew what was underneath. How would she react, I wondered, if I went over and kissed her? If I tangled my hands into her gorgeous hair and pulled our bodies together and oh god just the idea was enough to make me realize I was going to need a fresh pair of knickers.

She frowned, not looking entirely convinced, but turned away to grab one of the uniforms. I closed my eyes and tried desperately to calm myself down. Okay, if I ever had cause to doubt whether or not I was bisexual that had answered it. I'd never reacted that way around a woman before, but there was no mistaking it now. I crawled off of the bed and made my escape while she was bent over searching for a skirt (and yes, I took a peek at her ass as I went by and yes, it was amazing). I could hear Yaten and Taiki out in the kitchen with Chibi-Chibi, so I darted into my bedroom and shut the door.

God, I wasn't going to have to worry about Rubeus at this rate. Sexual frustration was going to kill me first. I pressed my head back against the door and tried to calm my pounding heart. It wasn't working. Why couldn't I just gather my courage together and tell her? Now that she was in possession of all the facts I knew whatever answer she gave me would be an honest one. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it no matter how frustrated it made me. Maybe Minako was right, and I was afraid of rejection. I was just being a coward.

I closed my eyes in the hopes that it would help, but all I could see was Seiya. Whimpering, I sank to the ground and, after one last furtive look around, slipped my hand between my thighs. I was so wound up that it didn't take very long at all before I was shivering and gasping, my body trembling and collapsing weakly against the door. I knew I had to do something about things between us soon, because I wasn't sure how much longer I could handle this.

Please review!