A/N: Sorry for all those who thought action would be forthcoming… Enjoy!

I thought I was ready to face Rubeus. But no more than ten minutes after I sat back down on my bed and started petting Luna and Artemis, I realized that I wasn't. There was something I had to do first, something that I couldn't go without doing unless I wanted my conscience to distract me the whole time. I didn't want to do it, but that didn't change the fact that I knew I had to. I got up once I made sure that Luna and Artemis were both sound asleep and left my room. Seiya's door was closed, and I could hear the shower running. When I went into the living room, Taiki was sitting on the couch with Chibi-Chibi on her knee. Chibi-Chibi was watching the television while Taiki read one of our textbooks. They both looked up at me.

"I need to go out for a little while," I said simply. If it had been Seiya I knew she would have insisted on finding out where I was going, and then on coming with me for both protection and moral support. But I wanted - no, after all of this time I needed to do this on my own. Taiki must have sensed that, because much to my surprise she gave me a slow, thoughtful nod. My hopes shot up until she spoke.

"Alright. You can't go alone, though."

"Taiki -"

"I'll just come with you to the door of wherever you're going," she interrupted, holding up a hand. "Then you can go in and do whatever you want, and I'll just wait outside to escort you back home. You won't even know I'm there, I promise."

I sighed. It wasn't really what I wanted, but I knew that it was the best offer I was going to get. "Okay," I said, giving in. "But we've got to go now."

Taiki didn't ask me anything else. She just got up and found coats for all three of us. She didn't even tell Seiya and Yaten that we were going, and when I made it clear that I wanted to walk instead of take the car she didn't protest. I liked that about her, how easily she went with the flow sometimes. It would have been very easy for people to get the wrong idea and think that you could take advantage of her, but I knew that would be a stupid mistake for anyone with a bit of sense to make. Taiki could be both strong and stubborn when she wanted to be. But I sensed that after living with Seiya and Yaten for so long, she had learned that there was value in learning to pick your battles. It made me respect her even more, so much so that I didn't even mind when she finally broke down and asked.

"Where are we going?"

"To my parent's house," I said.

My answer surprised her. She gave me an intent stare. "Are you planning to tell them that you're pregnant?"

"No. I don't really think that's necessary just yet," I replied. I had thought about it. But if I died facing Rubeus, I didn't want that to be one of the last memories my parents had of me. So few people were aware that I was pregnant that I knew the news would never get back to them, because if we lost it wasn't like there would a body for the police to examine. I looked straight ahead and added, "I'm going to tell them I'm Sailor Moon."

She tripped, though to her credit she didn't actually fall on the ground. She just stumbled. "What?"

"I know. I'm really freaked out about it too, Taiki, but it's the right thing to do. My parents have spent the last two years with no idea that their daughter is the sailor suited solider who has been protecting the city. Up until now, it never really mattered. I was always confident that we would come out on top in our battles and if we didn't, well, it never felt right making my parents worry. I didn't want them to have that level of responsibility on their shoulders. But the battle with Galaxia..." I took a deep breath. "It made me realize how easy it would be for everything to go wrong. I believe that we will win against Rubeus, but in the event that we don't my parents have the right to know why I won't be coming home."

"Usagi..." Taiki started and then stopped. "That's very commendable of you. But don't you think that they're going to be just as worried about you now as they would have been before?"

"Of course they will be. I realize that. But like I said, I think the time has come for me to tell them the truth. I just know that it's the right thing to do," I concluded, wishing that I could better express why I was feeling this way. My parents had done a lot for me, and lying to them had never felt good. There had been so many times when I wished I could explain the weird bruises, why I stayed out so late, the poor grades that sometimes weren't actually my fault. I'd wanted to tell them who Chibi-Usa was, that she was their granddaughter, and that Mamoru was the man I'd loved for centuries. It hurt knowing that there were some things I'd missed out on because I'd hesitated for too long.

It would be dangerous, of course. There was a good chance they would be angry with me for keeping it a secret for so long. It would definitely give them even more cause to be concerned, especially when they inevitably realized that I was going to have to take care of Rubeus. On the one hand, Taiki was right. It seemed cruel to make them worry about me, especially when there really wasn't anything that they could do to help me. All they would be able to do was sit and wait for me to come home. In that respect, it was kinder to make them think that I was just a silly girl who was too busy hanging out with her rock star friends.

But on the other hand, I knew that I was right. If I died, I wanted to die with as few regrets as possible. And out of the two things that I had to tell my parents about, letting them know that I was Sailor Moon was way more important than telling them about Chibi-Usa. That could wait. This, though, was long overdue. It was a conversation that I probably should have had with them a long time ago, but I'd always put it off. Lying on my bed with Luna and Artemis, it had struck me that if I died without my family knowing why I would regret it. That's what had happened to some of my friends. Poor Shingo would be left to bear the burden alone, and my parents would never know the truth because he wouldn't tell them.

I closed my eyes. "Taiki, do you think - do you know if Seiya still... cares for me?"

"Of course Seiya loves you. We all do," Taiki said, clearly confused by what she viewed as a sudden change in topic.

I smiled and shifted Chibi-Chibi closer. It felt so good to hear her say that, even if I didn't think she'd entirely understood my meaning. Thinking about dying with regrets had led me to wonder if maybe I should tell Seiya after all. "No, I mean... do you think she still loves me the way she did before the battle with Galaxia. Do you think she's still in love with me?"

Taiki didn't say anything for a long time. We walked several streets in silence before she spoke again. "Can I ask why before I tell you what I think?"

"Yes." I looked away, feeling a blush on my cheeks. I hadn't really talked about my feelings with anyone except for Shingo and Mika. It felt a lot more real to discuss it with someone like Taiki. I had a lot of butterflies in my tummy. "Minako-chan told me that I should stop being such a coward. She said that I was afraid to tell Seiya how I feel because I was scared of being rejected. And thinking about dying and how I don't want any regrets, it made me realize that I don't want to die without telling Seiya the truth. But that doesn't make it any less nerve wracking to do it. That's why I wondered whether you thought she still has feelings for me."

She reached out and caught my arm, drawing us both to a stop. "You're in love with Seiya?"

I automatically ran everything I'd just said through my mind and realized that I'd done a pretty crap job of explaining. I gave her a sheepish smile. "Well... when Seiya has always been there for me, you know? I know she can be a jerk, but she's got a good heart and she was so sweet while Mamo-chan was gone - I really did try my best to fight it, but I just couldn't help -"

"Usagi." Taiki held a hand up, looking amused. "Answer the question."

"Yes," I said finally, my heart pounding furiously. "Yes, I'm in love with Seiya."

"God." It was Taiki's turn to close her eyes, and her fingers tightened to the point of pain on my arm. "I never thought I would hear you say that."

"Is it a good thing that I said it?" I asked anxiously. "Does she - does she still love me?"

"I don't know."

It wasn't what I wanted to hear. My face fell. "Oh."

"That's not to say that she doesn't," Taiki said gently. It was the kindest tone I'd ever heard her speak in. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's that I honestly don't know. Yaten and I made our disapproval of Seiya's feelings towards you known a few weeks ago. Well, I'm sure you know that already." She smiled painfully. "Since then, Seiya hasn't mentioned it. If she does still love you, I think she thinks that we would still be angry with her for feeling that way, and in light of everything that has happened she's trying not to make waves."

"Do you still feel that way?" I had to ask even though I was afraid of the answer.

Taiki sighed and squeezed my arm. "Usagi, you have to understand something. It was never about you or Seiya, okay? It was about our mission. As guardian soldiers, we had one goal in life and that was to protect our princess. Seiya's feelings for you distracted her from that goal. I know that in the end you saved us all and we couldn't have done it without you, but it could have just as easily spelled disaster. Seiya could have become conflicted about where her true loyalty was. That's why we were trying to keep the two of you apart."

Her words made sense, though I thought it was unbearably sad that the three of them had lived their lives never expecting to be able to fall in love. Had my senshi felt that way? I hoped not. "And now?"

"Well, now Princess Kakyuu is gone and you are our princess," she replied. "There can't be any conflict, and if you're in love with Seiya there is no concern that she might get her heart broken." She grinned, correctly interpreting the look on my face. "Don't worry: I'm sure your heart is safe too. Just because Seiya hasn't mentioned being in love with you doesn't mean anything has changed. But you are going to have to be the one who makes the first move. You just lost your prince not that long ago. Seiya isn't going to make a move on you unless she's absolutely certain you want her to."

I stared at her for a moment. Although she hadn't really given me anything concrete to go off of, I realized that I felt better. I reached out and hugged her impulsively, pressing Chibi-Chibi between us. "Thanks Taiki," I whispered, resting my head against her shoulder.

Please review!