Author's notes:

Hey there readers! As always, please make sure to check out the important notes from the Prologue. Enjoy!

Chapter Three

Everything shook.

Sparkling chandeliers shattered against the crystal floors as they fell from the ceiling, and huge cracks slashed the solid walls as the earth shifted beneath her feet. The once peaceful palace tore open, leaving jagged ledges and uncrossable paths. Chunks of sharp crystal speared the dining room around her, and she scattered back on bloody hands, desperately trying to dodge the crumbling obstacles around her.

The rumble of the destruction was nearly deafening, and she was certain she would be crushed alive. Once again, she was all alone, in a fragmented, confused world that held no concept of time, space, day or night. She leant her head back against the cool wall behind her and let out a sob. Perhaps, it would finally be over.

"Rini!"

Across the grand gallery, the tiny pink-haired girl stood and cried, a doll gripped fiercely in her arms. A tall column alongside her began to shake violently, falling straight into the little one's path.

"Chibi Chibi!"

Summoning every ounce of strength she had left in her tortured body, Rini scrambled to her feet, leaping over the crashing ruins and diving for the child as the heavy rock crushed the floor. She checked over the shaking toddler as she unravelled her from her arms. "Are you okay?"

Chibi Chibi nodded, unscathed save a few scrapes and bruises.

"We have to run, as fast as we can, okay?" Rini told her, bundling her up and breaking into a sprint down the collapsing hallway before them. "If anything happens, you can't look back, just run."

She weaved amongst the falling rock and dashed over the gaping crevices, shielding Chibi's body from danger. Shards of crystal sliced her shoulders and embedded itself into her skin, but she did not stop. The pointed roofline was caving in above them, and she could see streaks of menacing white lightening striking the crystal from the skies above. If she could just reach the entrance—it was so close—

"No!"

She screamed in pain as a pillar trapped her legs to the floor, Chibi falling out of her grasp safely in front of her. "Go, Chibi, go!" The child cried and tugged at Rini's hand, ignoring her pleas. "Please, please run…"

Suddenly the crushing weight on her legs was freed and a pair of amber eyes met her own, obscured by striking white blonde hair. "Helios?" She gasped, as he encircled her waist and wrenched her up from the floor. "How…?"

The beautiful boy scooped Chibi and pulled them forward. "Rini, we have to go."

They ran.

She ran until her lungs felt aflame, until her legs seemed no longer beneath her. She ran in spite of the pain. She ran until one single glimpse of her reflection in the shiny crystal was nearly her undoing—but what she saw froze her in her path.

Long, fair legs. Curved hips. Untamed pigtails that fell over a blossoming bust. Full lips. Eyes, once wide and round, now winged and feminine. A young woman, so like her mother, yet so different to the little girl she remembered. Is that truly me?

"Rini!"

The air was knocked from her lungs as Helios shielded her body with his own from the blow that was certain to be her last. An explosion of red energy radiated from the gemstone between his eyes and engulfed the trio, and suddenly, everything was gone.

Usagi fiddled with the pretty pink ring settled upon her finger as she waited outside Mamoru's apartment, slipping it gently up and down and wondering if it had always been so loose on her. It felt foreign and cool against her skin, uncomfortable on a hand that was usually bare. Silly, she thought to herself, it's probably because you've hardly ever worn it.

"Usako," Mamoru said, smiling at her as he opened the door to let her in. "Come in."

"Sorry I'm a bit late," she said meekly, aware that she was almost half an hour later than they had agreed. She followed him inside and felt a wave of guilt hit her as she spotted the freshly cut sandwiches laid out on his kitchen counter. "This looks great, I hope I didn't spoil it…"

"Not at all," he said kindly, but she was sure he was disappointed in her. Punctuality was another area in which Usagi did not excel, and she knew it frustrated him. He gave her a lop-sided smile. "Sleep in again?"

He moved to serve lunch, but she caught his hand loosely, pulling him toward her and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Mamo," she said into his chest, and stood on tiptoe to kiss him lightly on the lips. He stiffened under her touch, as he so often did when they were alone, but kissed her gently back. When she moved closer to deepen the kiss, he broke away, holding her out at arms length, and she had to evenly remind herself that he was modest and gentlemanly; never one to take advantage of their private time together. Stay calm…

"Come on, let's eat."

They sat on the couch in his living space and ate quietly, but Usagi's appetite had abnormally dwindled, and instead she picked at the filling. There was so much occupying her mind, and the atmosphere between them felt thick and tense. "Everything alright, Usako?"

"Oh, yes," she replied quickly, placing her plate down on the coffee table. She turned to face him. "Though I was going to ask you the same thing…"

He took a deep breath and abandoned his own lunch. "There is something I wanted to talk to you about," he said, and chewed his lip. "Harvard has reconsidered my thesis."

She felt anxiety begin to knot in her stomach. "Did you reapply?"

"I did," he replied, wringing his hands in his lap. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Usako, I just—"

"It's alright," she said quietly, somehow just knowing that this had been coming. Thoughts reeled through her mind faster than she could process. "Did they accept it?"

He met her eye and nodded. "Yes," he said. There was a beat of silence, and Usagi went to speak, but he continued. "But I'm going to decline the offer."

"What? Why?" Usagi said, frowning at him. This was his dream, why would he want to pass it up?

"I can't leave you alone, not now that this enemy has arrived," he said, shaking his head slowly. "And I know how difficult it was for you last time."

She sat back into the soft cushion silently, ticking over all the rampant thoughts flying through her head. "Last time was because of Galaxia, Mamo," she said. "I know this time would be different."

Mamoru, who had been staring intently at the carpet for the duration of their short conversation, snapped his head up to look at her. "You would be comfortable with me leaving?"

"It wouldn't be easy," she said, and let out a long sigh. "But I would be alright."

"Usako," he murmured, taking her hands between his. He rubbed the pads of his thumbs over her delicate skin. "I admire your strength, and I am grateful for your support, but you need me here now. You need protection."

Usagi shook her head. "No, I don't," she told him firmly. "I coped just fine before, didn't I?"

"You did, but you had additional protection then from the Starlights," he said. The very mention of the foreign guardians made her nervous; they rarely discussed the Kinmokian senshi. Well, rarely discussed Seiya… "We can't take that risk now—not with everything that's at stake."

The comment crawled under her skin and she grew tense. Everything that's at stake? She ignored the comment, burying it like she did so many other topics relating to their imminent future. "I have the scouts to protect me, and I am strong," she said in earnest. "You should go, Mamo. It's your dream."

He eyed her carefully, and then leant across the space between them to place a kiss on her forehead. "It will be worth it, I promise—for our future, and the people of this planet," he whispered. He pulled back and looked down at their entwined hands, straightening the ring that had rotated on her finger. "And once I get back, we can finalise everything. We'll get married, and then we can—"

"What?" Usagi interrupted, jerking back to stare at him as her heart leapt into her throat. "Get married?"

Of course, she knew it was always going to happen—but so soon? She didn't feel ready. She could barely organise herself for high school and make herself dinner, let alone become a wife.

Mamoru frowned at her and shook his head disbelievingly. "The ring I gave you—we will have been engaged for quite some time once I get back, so I don't see why we should wait—"

"Engaged?" Usagi exclaimed, tugging her hands out of his grip. "Mamoru, you never even asked me to marry you!"

It was his turn to look dumbfounded. "Well, I just assumed—"

"That because our future is set in stone I'd automatically say yes?" She cried, jumping up to pace the apartment. "That you didn't have to say a word and suddenly I'd become your fiancée?"

"Usagi, if this is about a proper proposal, then I can—"

"No!" She reeled around to face him, hot tears springing to her eyes. "It's about the fact that I have no say in any of this! Everything is laid out and final and the pressure…"

She trailed off, choking down her tears. What difference did it make, fighting any of it? Isn't this what she wanted? What she should want?

Mamoru looked up at her, his face unreadable. "Do you think this is easy on me, knowing the weight of our future?" His voice was low and quiet. "Knowing that I can't simply pursue my own dreams, and undertake our life together without knowing every single step?"

"No, I don't," she said, kneeling in front of him to look into his eyes. "Mamo, I want to have faith in our destiny, but I don't want to force every moment just because we know it will happen. It's not right."

It wasn't right, but it killed her all the same. The knowledge they possessed regarding their future had morphed from being exhilarating and enchanting to overwhelming and crushing within the space of a few short years. It was nearly impossible to describe the wave of emotion that consumed her when she thought deeply about the seriousness of her future, and the gravity of the questions that snuck into her mind. In the past, she had clung dearly to her love for Mamoru, enamoured with their fairy-tale, and trusted the path that was to come. Now, when she allowed her mind to wander, she thought about the what ifs, and the biggest one that played on her mind was always the same: what if something alters Rini's fate?

"You're right," Mamoru said finally, breaking her from her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Usako."

She pressed her lips together in a tight smile, a few lone tears escaping her through her lashes. "Don't be," she said. "These things will happen when the time is right."

He reached out and took her hand in his, kissing the tips of her fingers and nodding into her palm. "When the time is right."

She couldn't help but wonder, as he let go of her hand and she looked out across the city, would the time ever be right?

He had to get out.

The castle walls had caged him throughout the night, where he'd laid restless in his bed since his fellow guardians had worriedly deposited him there late that afternoon. The initial panic and exhaustion of his empathic episode had left his body weak, sending him into a fitful sleep plagued by nightmares. He had woken as his male self, a cold sweat slick on his body and anxiety twisting his every nerve. He had to get to her, he had to see that she was okay, he had to—

He had to get out.

First light was yet to peek out from above the horizon, allowing him to sneak in the shadows. He wrapped himself in his cloak and jumped the balcony, moving seamlessly through the quiet city until he was beyond the borders of civilisation. He knew where he was going: somewhere he could think, somewhere equally as dangerous as it was peaceful. Somewhere that mirrored the unbridled emotion that was coiled within him.

He crossed the familiar waterway with unmatched speed, bounding across the still river and scaling the high rock face that overlooked their home. When he made it to the top, he didn't look back. He stared out to a place where the earth was baron and scorched by lightning, the skyline marred with inky storm clouds. It was a place where the arid, cracked land was dead flat, seemingly to the very edge of their recovering planet. It was a no-man's-land left in the wake of Chaos, treasured for its desolate beauty, and feared for its endlessness.

He moved quickly, clearing treacherous ravines by mere inches and skirting the flaming bolts shot from the red sky above as he tried desperately to expend the pent up energy trapped in his body. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before—almost unbearable, and yet exhilarating, all at once. The harsh wind caught his cloak, tearing it from his shoulders and sending it deep into the cavern ahead of him. The wide fracture in the land was uncrossable, he knew that, and so he stopped, breathing hard and letting the elements assault his tired form.

"Odango," he murmured, "what am I going to do?"

He looked over the edge of the canyon to where low-lying cloud hung, folded cottony grey flushed pink in the twilight. Thoughts flashed through his mind, uncontrolled and unrelenting—the memory of her pain, his own fear and helplessness, and the power. Power like no other, and he could still feel it, loaded in his body. He balled his fists at his sides and squeezed his eyes closed, shaking as it rattled within him furiously. The energy crawled up his limbs, coursing through his blood like fire meeting gasoline, until it exploded from every tip in a cobalt sphere that expanded, suspended, far and wide from his being. It felt like the beat of a loud drum against his heart, like the song his throat ached to belt—instead, it was a cry of release. He fell to his knees as the blue dome surged back, absorbing into him as powerfully as it had escaped. The aftershock vibrated the ground beneath him, and he felt his body flicker rapidly between his dual identities, too immense to control. He panted in exhaustion. What the hell was that?

"Whoa."

He whipped his head around to see Yaten and Taiki eying him from a distance, their stance wary. "You found me," he said weakly, giving them a smile. They were both fully transformed and equipped to battle the harsh environment, and he felt a wave of guilt sweep him as he realised that they had gone out on a search-and-rescue mission, just to find him. "You didn't have to come."

"We thought you might be here," Yaten said, ignoring him. "Might come as a surprise, but we were worried."

Seiya dragged himself to his feet. "No surprise there, Healer."

"Seiya, you have to tell us what is going on," Taiki said as she approached, cautious of the man who had unleashed new, intense power only moments earlier. "First about what happened yesterday, and then what we just witnessed—whatever that was, it was—"

"Pretty cool," Yaten cut in, shooting Taiki a glance that demanded she back off. She casually folded her arms over her chest and shrugged, her silver ponytail whipping about in the wind. "A little bit terrifying, though."

He turned away from their concerned gazes, looking out over the shifting cloud in the valley below. Droplets of hot rain were beginning to fall. "I told you last night, I'm fine—"

"We might have accepted that after yesterday's incident, but you know we can't ignore what we just saw," Taiki said, moving to stand beside him. "We made a pact, between the three of us and our Princess, that if we begin to see patterns of evolution, we will report them. You can't just expect us to—"

"It's her, isn't it?" Yaten asked tersely, a hint of realisation in her voice. "What happened yesterday, that was her."

Seiya didn't turn to look at her. He said nothing in reply, but gave everything away.

Yaten sighed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because you'd just tell me exactly what you told me last time," he said angrily, spinning to look at them. Thunder grumbled in the sky above, and the rain began to soak his clothes. "To get over her."

The two Starlights exchanged glances, and Taiki reached out for him. "Seiya, we never meant to—"

"Bullshit you didn't," he growled. "You think it's easy to move on from someone, when you can feel everything they feel—you have no idea—"

"No, Fighter, maybe we don't," Taiki countered, her eyes narrowed at him. "But we never would have been so hard on you had we known about this."

"We do understand how you feel, you know," Yaten murmured, casting her eyes downward and kicking a stone with her foot. She shivered in spite of the steamy rainfall. "You're not the only one with feelings."

Seiya said nothing, but he was quickly reminded of the blossoming relationships his fellow senshi had begun to form before their departure. He was not the only one that had lost something when they left Earth, and that was a fact that he sometimes forgot about.

A deafening crack of thunder boomed in the tawny sky. "We have to go, it's dangerous out here," Taiki yelled over the noise. "Please, Seiya, come back home and let us help you."

He looked at his fellow senshi, who had ventured out to find him when they knew he would always return. "Alright."

Yaten nodded, swishing her cloak over her head and moving to cross the perilous desert, back toward their kingdom. "We're going to have to move fast, before—"

Lightning suddenly struck the ground mere feet from where they stood, setting the dry rock aflame and splitting the earth open with a roar. Cracks splintered off the newly formed crevice, trapping the warriors against the sheer cliff-face that dropped away to clouded nothingness. They backed toward the edge, and Seiya quickly assessed the precipice. "We'll have to go down, at least until the storm passes!"

Strong winds began to pick up the fiery dust, shrouding their path to safety. Taiki nodded, shielding her face from the storm. "Quickly!"

They scaled down the cliff into the valley below, using the rock's sharp edges to climb and hang as they battled the fierce conditions. Seiya lagged behind the two other Starlights, keeping an eye on the crumbling cliff above for falling debris. Dirty gusts of wind whirled around them, obscuring their vision and compromising their grip. Seiya shifted across to protect Yaten from falling rubble, striking the stones into the gorge below. "We need to find shelter!"

"There!" Taiki pointed to a cavern along the rock wall. The opening was close, nearly within jumping distance of Taiki's dangling body. She swung out wide and propelled herself off the rock, just making the edge. "Come on!"

Seiya continued to scale downward, Yaten beneath him. He watched as she placed a boot against a protruding rock and prepared to jump, but instead the tiny shelf gave way. "Yaten!"

He caught her hand before she plummeted to the ground, and she looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "I had that!"

"You're welcome," he muttered, and swung her gently toward the ledge. She cleared it easily—with his help—and he followed, landing on shaky feet. He puffed loudly. "Should have transformed," he muttered as he looked over at the other Starlights, who were nimble and strong despite the circumstances.

"Mm," Yaten agreed half-heartedly, inspecting the cave for any signs of danger. "More penis, less agility."

Seiya snickered, sliding down the wall to rest, his arms resting on his knees. "Like you'd even remember."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, a smile threatening her lips. "You may have started shooting rings of doom from your body, but don't think I'll start putting up with your crap."

"Nothing's ever stopped you before," he replied, tipping his head back against the cool stone.

Taiki sat down on a boulder across from him, her gaze serious. "How long has this been going on?"

"What, the rings of doom?" He smirked at Yaten's snort of laughter. Taiki remained unimpressed. "That's never happened before—not until today."

"I see," Taiki said, frowning. He could tell the intelligent Starlight was analysing what she had seen, mulling over every possibility. "And the...ability to sense Usagi? Is that a recent development?"

He clenched his jaw at the sound of her name. How long had it been since he had even heard it? "No," he replied. "I've felt her from the very start."

Yaten's brow shot up in surprise. "Since we left Earth?"

There was a moment of silence as Taiki watched him closely. "Since he met her," she murmured. "Seiya, you don't just sense another being's life force for no reason—this could have significant repercussions—"

"You think I don't know that?" He snapped, feeling his frustration rise rapidly at the thought of what he had felt yesterday. That moment of complete coldness, like his heart had been ripped from his chest—he could barely contain the anger that bubbled up within him. He growled and thumped a fist against the solid ground. "And what the hell is he doing down there, anyway? I told him to protect her and now—"

"Don't jump to any conclusions," Taiki said. "You don't know what could have caused such an episode."

"Exactly," he muttered. "I swear, if he's left her alone and something's happened, I'll—"

"You'll what?" Yaten interrupted, arms folded over her chest. "Go down there and beat him up?"

Seiya ignored her. He knew Odango could hold her own—he had witnessed it time and time again—but he also knew intimately of the pain she had suffered in the time Mamoru was gone. He couldn't help but think that if he were there, if she were his—

"That can't happen," Taiki said flatly, as though she had read Seiya's thoughts, when in fact, she was replying to Yaten's tempting suggestion. "Seiya, it is not your place to protect her, regardless of what you feel."

He looked out to the blustery exterior of their hideaway, where rain pelted down and thunder continued to rage. "For a moment, yesterday," he started, the words harder to form than he had expected, "for a split second, I felt her die." His voice cracked and he shook his head slowly. "But then she came back—her energy stronger than I have ever felt it."

The whistle of wind filled the silence that followed his admission, until Yaten let out a long sigh. "The way you collapsed yesterday, I thought you were the one who was going to die," she said. "That is our primary concern, Seiya."

"We all miss what we had on Earth, even with our Princess back and Kinmoku restored," Taiki added softly. "But we can't lose you, Fighter."

He felt his throat constrict with emotion. Couldn't he just let it go—let her go?

"Maybe we can speak to Kakyuu, see if she knows how you can switch off this connection," Yaten suggested. "Then maybe you can move on with your life."

Seiya tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Maybe he didn't want to move on. Maybe he didn't want to stop feeling her energy. Maybe he just wanted to know that she was okay, just for now. "Kakyuu already knows," he said after a moment. "And if she does know a way to stop it, she certainly didn't tell me."

"We will talk to her," Taiki said firmly. "She is relying on us heavily now—to protect the kingdom, to train new soldiers, to continue salvaging our planet—and we must focus our energy on these tasks. It's our duty."

He knew that—hell, he'd been the fearless leader stressing the importance of their roles as senshi for many, many years before their time on Earth. But now, when he thought of her, and when he looked up at the huge star illuminating Kinmoku with sweltering rays—his sun—he felt like there was something more. "Our duty," he repeated quietly. "And what about when the reserves are trained? When there is no longer any need for us as protectors?"

Taiki eyed him sceptically. "There will always be need for us. You know that, Seiya."

He sat forward, desperate for them to understand. "But surely there will come a time when we can step back, and perhaps go back and visit Earth—"

"Seiya!" Yaten growled at him, her expression fierce. "Your loyalty is to our Princess and our solar system—what the hell is the matter with you?"

"Healer," Taiki said, and the hot-headed senshi huffed. "You know it's no longer that simple for him—"

"No!" Yaten stood, pacing the cave floor indignantly. She rounded on Seiya, her face flushed. "We have everything we wanted—our home, our Princess—but it's not enough for you! We know, if you'd had it your way, you never would have returned to Kinmoku—you would have given up everything to be with her, including your duty as a senshi! What kind of warrior could do that, how could you even think—"

Seiya got to his feet, morphing seamlessly into Sailor Star Fighter before their very eyes. "Don't you dare question my loyalty to Kakyuu, I have protected this planet for hundreds of years—"

"And in a heartbeat, you would have let that all go!" Yaten cried. "If Usagi had walked away from her boyfriend—who, might I remind you, is the guardian of Earth—you would have thrown yourself at her!"

Seiya bristled at the truth in Yaten's words. "That may be true," she said lowly, approaching the shorter Starlight until she was nearly nose-to-nose with her. "But I would never have abandoned Kakyuu."

Yaten narrowed her eyes. "That's a lie," she hissed. "And what would you have done, even if she hadn't rejected you? Remained male for your entire life? Pretended that Fighter didn't even exist?"

Seiya scowled at her. "You are so blind, Yaten, how can you even—"

"I'm blind?" Yaten scoffed, inching into Seiya's space aggressively. "News flash, bucko: Usagi's boyfriend was a guy—"

"Oh my God, you have no idea—"

"Enough!" Taiki finally broke between the two, who were ready to begin throwing punches at any moment. She placed her hand on Seiya's chest and pushed her away from the smaller senshi. "This has got to stop."

Yaten shot Seiya a scathing glare. "I'm trying to help you, but you're so fucking pig-headed—"

"Yaten," Taiki warned, and Yaten tossed her arms in the air, storming off. She turned to Seiya, who was glowering at Yaten's back. "In her own way, she is only trying to help."

"She's not trying to help," Seiya said angrily. "She just can't handle the fact that all three of us found something on Earth that took our focus away from our mission."

Taiki looked at her sharply, her purple eyes giving little away. "We have talked about this before—those senshi are sworn to protect Earth, the only planet that harbours life in their solar system, just as we are," she said. "Our knowledge of the Moon lineage is limited, in spite of my research, but what we do know is that it's power is unmatched within their solar system. If Usagi has chosen Mamoru as her suitor then a perfect alliance will be formed—Earth will continue to thrive throughout the generations under the protection of such a strong bloodline." She placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Seiya, but you have to move forward."

They had discussed it, in the early days after their arrival back on Kinmoku. With so little time to learn more about the soldiers protecting Earth, Taiki had taken it upon herself to learn as much as she could—but their resources were limited. Seiya had thought it over, endlessly. She wondered if Odango had any choice, and she wondered if she was happy. She was certain the Moon senshi had felt the irrefutable spark that had flared so intensely between them, and—for once—that wasn't a feeling based on her cocky nature. That was pure gut feeling, and she couldn't deny it. She wouldn't.

"The storm has died down," Yaten said suddenly from the cavern's entry, the brilliant light of the day silhouetting her petite figure. "Looks like we can head out."

Taiki nodded. "Come on, Fighter," she said. "Let's go home."

"Usagi, are you listening?"

Usagi glanced up from the glass straw she was clinking around the edge of her milkshake, slumped low in their regular corner booth at Crown Fruit Parlour. "Huh?"

Minako frowned at her from across the table. "You've been quiet all day, is everything alright?"

Usagi absently scratched the soft fur between Luna's ears, who was sitting comfortably on her lap. "Well," she said slowly. "There is something I need to tell you all…"

Her close friends all sat forward, looking nervous. "What's wrong?" Rei asked, worry written across her face. "If it's about the new enemy, we've got you covered—we'll have a meeting with the outer senshi, and more training, and—"

"No," Usagi cut in, "it's not that."

"What is it, Usagi?" Ami asked gently. "You can tell us."

She sucked in a deep breath. "I met with Mamo yesterday," she started, chewing her lip. "He has been offered another place at the university in America."

"Oh, Usa," Makoto said, sympathy in her husky voice, "that can't be easy for you…"

"I'm sure he'll decide it's best he didn't go," Minako offered, and Artemis nodded along with her. "I'm sure he will understand—"

"I told him to go," she said. "To pursue his dream."

The other girls stared at her, wide-eyed. "Are you sure, Usagi?" Rei asked. "Is that the best idea?"

"I'll be fine," she said, giving them a smile. "It's what's best for him, and our future."

Ami touched the back of her hand lightly. "You don't have to be strong in front of us," she said. "We know how hard it was for you last time."

Usagi grasped Ami's hand gratefully. "Last time was different."

"That's right, it was," Rei said quietly, her violet eyes boring into Usagi's. "Last time you had Seiya."

The churn of her stomach and the skip of her heartbeat was unmistakable at the sound of his name; the memory of his presence when she needed it most. "I had all of you, and the other Starlights," she said weakly. "I got there in the end, didn't I?"

"You did—you were so strong, Usa," Makoto said positively. "We just worry about you, that's all—it is our job."

"I'll be okay," Usagi replied, and looked to each of them in turn. "Really."

Luna had sat tall on her thighs to look up at Usagi. "You want to see him off with a smile," she said softly.

She nodded at the black cat. "I do."

"Well then, of course we'll support you," Minako said, hooking her finger into the basket of fries sitting in the middle of the table and stealing one. "You just have to promise you'll tell us if anything is wrong, okay?"

Usagi returned to her melting drink, her appetite returning finally. "I promise."

Rei sat back, still looking concerned. "When will you tell Haruka and the others?"

"At our meeting later," she replied, nerves bubbling within her at the thought of facing Haruka after their last encounter. "I don't know how Haruka will take it…"

Makoto gave her a devilish grin. "Given the huge crush she has on her princess, I'm sure she won't mind having you all to herself for a while," she teased.

"Hey!" Usagi cried, her cheeks flaring. "She does not—and besides, she has Michiru—"

"It was just a joke," Makoto said, breaking into laughter. "Although I think the feeling might be mutual…"

"I do not have a crush on Haruka."

"But you do think she's gorgeous though, right?" Minako said, smirking at her and batting her eyelashes. "'Good luck for today Haruka!'"

"Shut up," she growled. "The rest of you think she is, too…"

"She is attractive, but in a different way than Taiki and the other Starlights," Ami said thoughtfully. Her face immediately flushed deep red. "That was probably insensitive, I didn't mean—"

Minako waved her off. "Don't worry, Ami, we know what you mean."

"Sure you do, Mina," Usagi said slyly, narrowing her eyes at the blonde. "'Yaten, sit with me! Yaten, come to the movies with me! Yaten, tell me again what an amazing idol I will be!'"

Minako ducked her head, blushing furiously. "I told you—all traces of attraction disappeared the moment I found out they were female," she said, but her eyes avoided contact with Usagi's. Usagi knew better.

"I wonder how they are," Makoto pondered, leaning forward and cupping her cheeks in her hands. "I guess they're rebuilding their home and looking after their princess now…"

Usagi busied herself with the slice of cake she had ordered with her drink, picking off the cookie crumb and nibbling away at it. Since the attack only days earlier, there hadn't been a time when she hadn't been thinking about Seiya—he was at the forefront of her mind constantly. She couldn't shake off the bizarre feeling of sensing his emotions, as well as the sudden realisation that it had been going on for some time; she simply hadn't understood what it was. And then there were the dreams…

"It is a shame that I haven't found a way to communicate with them," Ami said. "It would be nice to know how they are doing."

Rei swiped her fork across Usagi's plate, stealing a chunk of her cake. "Even if we did keep in touch, Usagi still wouldn't get it…"

Minako giggled, joining in the banter. "Yep, clueless as always!"

"I am not clueless!" Usagi whined, pouting at her friends. "You don't know—maybe I got it and it was all just an act!"

"Sure," Minako said, and poked her tongue out at her. "Given you're such a great actress and all…"

Minako and Rei were wrong—it had been an act. Of course she knew of the Starlight's feelings toward her—he had admitted them to her in the moments before their final concert—but what could she have said, with Mamoru standing right beside her? How could she possibly have told him that, had it been a different life and had her destiny not been set in stone, he would have beengood enough?

I will never forget you.

She would never forget him.

"You never even figured out the significance of Mamoru giving you that ring," Rei rolled her eyes. "You're so dense, Usagi."

Usagi frowned at her, a little hurt. "Well, actually," she said, glaring at the dark-haired senshi, "I have figured that out."

"Oh, really?"

She nodded, arms folded over her chest defiantly. "Yep."

"So when will we be sending out the invitations then, hm?" Minako taunted. "Any day now, I suppose?"

"No," Usagi replied, casting her gaze elsewhere—she had stepped in it this time, did she really want to talk to her friends about this mess? "There won't be any invitations."

Makoto clunked the spoonful of foam from her hot chocolate back into her drink with a splosh. "What do you mean, no invitations?"

"You can't just expect people to show up to a wedding, Usa, they need time to plan and prepare and—"

"No," Usagi sighed. Once again, she could feel Luna's red eyes watching her with concern. She had planned on talking to her feline companion about it sooner. "After Mamo told me about the university yesterday, he said that the moment he got back we could get married."

The girls across the table bubbled with excitement. "Oh my God!"

"What did you say?"

She couldn't look at them. "I…"

Ami, who had been quiet beside her, eyed her closely. "You said no."

"What?!"

"Why on earth would you do that?!"

Usagi scrunched her eyes closed. "I didn't say no," she told them hurriedly. "I said that I hadn't realised that giving me the ring had been a proposal."

Rei blinked at her. "What did you think the ring was, Usagi?"

"I don't know!" Usagi cried, slumping further into her spot. "A promise ring? Just a present?"

"I don't understand," Minako said slowly. "Isn't this your dream? Isn't this what you want?"

"It is," she said, though the words felt thin and hollow. "I just don't know if I'm ready to get married right away, to become a wife, and have Rini, and rule the Earth, and…" She rubbed a hand over her face, her head spinning. "Just not yet."

"It is a huge responsibility, Usa," Makoto said gently. "But it's what you've wanted for so long. The Usagi we know would have been dragging Mamoru down the aisle the moment he said the word 'wedding'."

Rei was staring at her intently, eyes narrowed. "This is your destiny, Usagi," she said. "You can't fight it."

Her words stung, because she knew they were true. The intuitive guardian was reading her like a book, and it made Usagi anxious. "I know," she replied. "Mamo and I talked about it—once he's back from America, we will revisit it. For now, we're not engaged, there's no wedding being planned, and the future is still exactly as you all know it." She hadn't intended for it to come out so exasperated. "Sorry, it's just hard, knowing everything in advance…"

"Don't apologise, Usagi," Luna said softly. "We're your friends—we understand the pressure that you are feeling."

"We'll fight beside you, no matter what," Ami said, nodding. "As our Princess, and our friend."

"Thanks," Usagi replied, embarrassed at the mention of her supposed title. "For now…can we keep this a secret from Haruka and the others? I don't feel like they'd be very understanding…"

"Of course," Makoto said with a smile. "Our lips are sealed."

Usagi looked across at Rei, who was staring down into her lap. She knew Rei was torn, just as Haruka and the others would be—Crystal Tokyo, the salvation of their planet, and the protection of their future saviours was everything they had been fighting for. Threat to the future they knew questioned the foundations of their purpose as senshi.

And, all over again, Usagi was left wishing she were just a regular teenage girl.

The three Starlight warriors crossed the fractured desert together, shielding themselves from the ferocious, hot winds and seeking out the silhouette of their kingdom on the horizon before them. Across the ruddy sky, barely visible through the purple storm clouds, three lights flashed—one gold, and two others in differing shades of pink.

Seiya tipped her head to the open air, squinting to see the intruders crossing into their atmosphere. She pointed to the rapidly shooting stars. "There!"

Her companions looked up at the falling stars. "They are heading for the palace!" Yaten cried. "We have to hurry!"

In an instant, the senshi were bounding across the flat rock at an incredible speed, racing toward the lights that plummeted to the ground. If only I hadn't left, Seiya thought angrily, our Princess wouldn't have been left undefended.

The palace was close, just over the deep river that divided their home from the uninhabitable land beyond, but it didn't appear that they would need to cross. Before their eyes, the sparkling lights careened down into the mist-filled valley, landing without a sound. They stopped at the cliff's edge, searching for the remnants of the invaders. "We have to find them," Seiya said fiercely, and the trio began their trek down to the river, ready to fight.

"I don't understand how they could have entered into our atmosphere," Yaten said quietly, her Star Yell gripped in her hand. "Only Chaos has that kind of power."

"Just be ready," Taiki said. "This may be what our princess has foreseen."

Seiya set her jaw and moved ahead, approaching the water's edge through the yellowed fog. It was deathly silent by the wide waterway. "Who are you?!" She called, her voice booming. A giggle echoed softly, and the soldiers prepared their stance. Whoever it was, they were in for a fight. "Show yourself!"

Suddenly, a blaze of pink came roaring toward them through the mist, and the wind was thumped from Seiya's lungs as a child leapt into her arms. "Chibi Chibi!"

"Chibi Chibi, you get back here this instant, it isn't safe—"

Seiya stared, wide-eyed, at the toddler who had knocked her flat to the ground. Beautiful, familiar eyes gazed up at her excitedly and she felt her body burn hot at the connection. "Chibi…what are you doing here?"

"Fighter," Yaten said lowly, reminding her that they were yet to sight the source of the other voices. Seiya held the little girl closer and pulled herself to her feet.

"We are the guardians of planet Kinmoku of the Centauri star system," Taiki declared threateningly. "You are intruders here!"

"We mean no harm," a boy's voice rang out. "We are lost in the galaxy and in need of help."

A warm light grew closer, gradually fading away to reveal a young teenage boy with white blonde hair and a golden horn atop his head. He was humanoid in appearance, but oddly ethereal with his sharp horn, fair skin, and a red gemstone on his forehead. He held out a hand in a symbol of truce. "We come peacefully."

"You say that now," Yaten murmured defensively. "Fighter, Maker, be ready to attack."

"No, please, there's no need to attack!"

A petite figure stepped out from behind the boy, her voice a song to Seiya's ears. She felt her stomach twist, and the toddler in her arms squirmed out of her arms, running to the figure's side and grabbing her hand. The young girl moved forward, and in that moment, Seiya couldn't take her eyes off her.

She was just like Odango, but so very different. Hair like cotton candy, wound up in cone-shaped pigtails that fell thickly to her waist. Blood-red eyes that were defiant and strong, yet kind and gentle. She was younger, perhaps twelve or thirteen years old, and carried an energy that was eerie in its familiarity.

They stared at one another, equally enchanted.

"Who are you?"