Suuuuper important shout out for and thank you to Rainewritesfanfics for a certain term of hers thatI have used in this chapter—it was a suggestion made by her in a comment early on during this story, and I have loved it ever since. Thanks so much for the suggestion, I am very grateful!

This is a loooong chapter…wound up being a lot longer than expected, but there was a lot I wanted to cover off on! This chapter is the bridge to some big stuff that's coming up—lots of seeds planted! Also, there is no song recommendation for this chapter—it was originally Fuckin' Perfect by Pink, but too much occurs through the chapter for it to be fitting for the entire thing (plus, it's another Pink song…). I will say this though—if I had to put a sound to Seiya's female singing voice, it would be Pink's, and I wanted to share that with you all!

Make sure to check out the important notes from the Prologue if you haven't already. Enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen

He had the strangest memory from when he was a child—one that began to resurface as he lingered on Earth and his powers began to grow and change.

He must have only been very young. He remembered the polished concrete beneath his toes and a soft toy tucked under his arm. He remembered tense whispers in a dark room where he was not supposed to be.

"She's different," he heard his mother say. "She's not just like you—"

"Of course she's just like me—I can feel it," his father insisted. "But there's nothing more to it than that."

He was peeking around the corner of their bedroom door, and the sunburnt light cast shadows around the two blurred figures hidden away in his memory.

For all he knew, it simply could have been a dream.

The silhouette of his mother rose from the bed and swept across the room to her partner. "I know you can feel it—I trust you," she whispered. "But I grew her in my belly, I felt her come to life—she is more than a regular child."

He remembered curling his toy closer to his chest, burying his lips into the plush fur in an act of comfort. Different? More?

"We both know what we saw today—there is no denying it," his mother continued. "We have to be prepared for what this means for her future—"

His father's voice softened, in a delicate, pretty way that he came to understand later was his female form. "She will be a senshi, like me. She will protect Kinmoku, and Kakyuu. Nothing more."

There was silence between them, before his mother spoke once more. "She could be the future of our species, Aoi."

The future?

He had stolen his father's Star Yell before, clutched it in his hands and gazed at its shining edges in wonder; felt its power hum in his veins. He had heard these mystical words in the past, like senshi and protector. He had felt the spark of excitement when he watched the Kinmokian guardians scuffle on the dirt; when his family told him, before he could even walk, that would be him, some day.

But he didn't understand why they had looked at him with so much fear when he helped Kakyuu as the cliff crumbled beneath their feet where they played.

Couldn't he be a hero yet, just like his father?

"I don't want to hear it," his father—his pama—said. "I don't want to hear it."

And maybe, just maybe, because his beautiful pama didn't want to hear it, he never did, either.

No more secrets.

It was tugging at his gut, every time he thought about it.

Seiya had left Usagi's bedroom early the next morning, just as the sunlight bled through the drapes and lit up her fair skin. He took in her pretty face and peaceful snores from where she had curled in to the crook of his arm, and whispered a kiss across her cheek, before making the journey home in the half-light.

It had been almost a week since that night.

Things for the Starlight were blissfully busy—a distraction he needed, when his mind wanted to do nothing but wander. The Three Lights schedule was chocked full—the trio spent every free moment in the recording studio, making appearances, or trying to keep up with schoolwork. He had barely seen Usagi, or the others, and while it tore him in two, he knew it was for the best.

Besides, seeing her since that night—since he'd felt her against him, felt what she did, too—was searingly painful. It was like his line to her had been amplified twofold, and along with the reality that there was never going to be a future for them, he simply couldn't—not quite yet.

But he would have been lying if he said he hadn't thought of her every night—silky skin, petite curves, azure eyes, coy smiles—and wondered whether maybe she was thinking of him, too.

Maybe.

Their enemy had been strangely quiet—too quiet. It worried him, and he knew it would be worrying the others. Something was coming, he could feel it, and he knew it was time to brush his hurt aside and fight for what was right.

Whatever that was.

It was late in the evening, but he knew there was no point in trying to sleep—it was only full of dreams and nightmares and everything in between. He strummed his fingers along the steel strings of his electric guitar, cradling it against him as he sat on the edge of his bed. A moment of peace, finally. He tweaked the strings, the combination tragic and tearing, and felt the hum of his song firing in his throat. This would help heal him, if nothing else would.

You will heal, Seiya, he could hear Kakyuu telling him—it was not only her voice, but a memory of that painful time. We all will.

"Alright, bucko," Yaten's voice came, as she stomped into the room with Taiki on her tail. "You've been moping around for too long—you're going to talk. Now."

Taiki sighed loudly. "Yaten," she groaned. "That was not the tact we discussed."

"I don't care," Yaten said. She cocked a brow at him and folded her arms over her chest, standing over him like he was a naughty child. "Talk."

He rolled his eyes at her. "You're really making me feel like this is a comfortable environment to express my feelings in, Yaten."

"Oh, for fuck's sake—"

"Yaten!" Taiki growled. She sat at Seiya's desk chair and looked him over. "Seiya, we're worried about you."

Seiya glared at Yaten. "Doesn't seem like it…"

"Well, we are," Taiki assured, giving Yaten a warning glance. "I can only begin to imagine how hard the news has been on you. We knew that the alliance between Earth's guardian and the Moon princess was strong, but we didn't know it spanned multiple time periods—we had no idea the gravity of Usagi's partnership with Mamoru." She looked at him. "Are you alright?"

Seiya gave her a tight smile. "I'm fine."

"You're clearly not," Yaten insisted, plonking down onto the bed beside him. "You've been dull as all hell all week, and we both know you came home well after the sun came up the night after it all went down."

He wasn't sure what she was suggesting; another of his wild adventures when things became hard, or perhaps something more destructive. "I needed time alone, to think," he said. "And then I was with Odango."

Taiki raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

Yaten tutted disapprovingly. "That probably wasn't the best idea, Seiya."

"You think I don't know that, Yaten?" He snapped back.

"Settle down, jeez," she grumbled. "Not my fault the Moon princess gets herself knocked up—pretty young I might add, how old is the kid again…?"

Her words felt like a punch in the stomach—he had thought about the very same thing, but didn't want to wish to hear it out in the open. He clenched his jaw and felt his nails biting into his fists.

"Seiya," Taiki said gently, "I'm sorry that you found out the way you did—"

"You say it like you knew," Seiya cut in, narrowing his eyes at her.

Taiki and Yaten exchanged glances. "Well, we had a hunch—"

"Both of you?" Seiya said incredulously. "Why didn't you tell me? Why would you keep that from me?"

"Usagi isn't the only one keeping secrets to save your sensitive ass, Seiya," Yaten told him abruptly. "And, might I add, neither are you."

He tensed and put his guitar aside, getting to his feet. Was thiswhat they really wanted to discuss?

"Have you told Usagi about your…senses?" Taiki asked carefully.

Bingo.

He let out a long breath, his back to them. "No, I haven't," he said. "And I don't intend to."

No more secrets.

"Perhaps it would be best, for both of you, if you cleared the air," Taiki suggested. "Keeping that from her now could…complicate matters."

"No, I think telling her would complicate matters," Seiya replied, irritated. "She doesn't need to know."

"She deserves to know—"

"I deserved to know!" He broke, spinning to look at his cousins. He shook his head, frustrated by his outburst. "I…"

"She deserves to know," Taiki repeated. "The more secrets you keep from her, the harder it's going to be to move on from this."

"I can't tell her," Seiya said. "You said it yourself, Taiki—you don't just sense another being's life force for no reason."

Yaten tilted her head. "You think there's something more to it."

He did—of course he did, but it didn't matter. Not any more. "I think that if I tell her it will be one more thing that dictates how she lives her life," he said. "I can't do that to her—I won't."

I won't be another person deciding her future for her, he thought. But god I wish I could change this.

But to tell her to give up the daughter who already breathed? He could never do that.

"If that's what you think is best," Taiki said warily.

Yaten stood and approached him. "Listen," she said, her bravado slipping away, "you have to let this go. You have to accept that sometimes it doesn't work—sometimes, for one person, it's just not right." She gave him a sad smile. "We've got a job to do. If we can help the Sol senshi defeat Chaos, once and for all, it will help our kingdom, too."

"And maybe," Taiki said cautiously, "it will mean that whatever cataclysmic event is destined to change their future will be stopped—maybe we can help save them from that fate, at least."

He eyed Taiki, whose purple eyes seemed bothered. He had forgotten how significantly that portion of Usagi's secret affected her now, too.

"For now, if there's one thing you can do for Usagi, it's be her friend," Yaten said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't take a genius to see that the girl is terrified of what's to come—she needs a good laugh." She shrugged. "And a little bitof flirting never hurt anyone."

Seiya snorted. "Great advice, Yaten."

"Hey, you gotta work with what you've been given." She grinned deviously. "And that's all you've got!"

"Yaten…"

Taiki smiled. "No one makes her quite as happy as I've seen you make her, Seiya," she said. "Continue to be there for her."

He would, because he'd be damned if he was going to sit by and watch her be so unhappy. He refused.

If it wasn't a dreamless sleep, it was always a hellish nightmare.

He was shackled to a golden throne, beaten and bloodied. He was alive and alert; so much so that every breath, every thought, was deafeningly loud.

"What is it, Your Highness Endymion?"

There were hundreds—perhaps thousands—of people before him, a blur of movement and an echo of voices. Some cried of trauma, others of great love, and some pleaded for his forgiveness. Some told him they would kill him, and others said nothing at all. He could see their lives, if he caught their eye—he could see their dreams, if he held on long enough.

It was exquisitely painful, and he struggled against his binds.

"What is it, Your Highness Endymion?"

The shackles bit at his skin and blood dripped onto the gold, and he wondered how long it would be before these people overran him; trampled him in his own golden home. His chest began to ache, like his heart was swelling well beyond its size, like the electrical currents were too piercingly strong for his body. The pain was sharp, knifelike, and the screams grew louder and his home dimmer as he felt himself slipping away.

Usako…

He tried. He tried to call for her, but nothing came out of his mouth. And when he tried again in the throes of his agony, another name slipped from his lips and he felt nothing but shame.

"Setsuna," he had said.

They screamed louder, then. Berated him for his mistake. Scorned him for his selfishness. She is my friend, he wanted to tell them. She is the only one who understands me.

It means nothing, he wanted to say.

Suddenly the voices quietened, disappearing before him as the yellowed daylight shifted to a purplish night. It was quiet, and he was free. He slumped forward, gripping his aching chest and breathing heavily.

"What is it, Endymion?"

He knew that voice.

The shadow crossed the room, long hair trailing down her back, shoes clattering on the parquetry. She knelt before him, cupped his face, but she was just a figure.

"Who are you?" He asked, even though he was certain he knew the answer.

She reached her fingertips forward and touched his heart, and the hum of her energy drew the sparkling gold to the surface of his skin. It crept down his limbs and into the floor, bleeding warm light into the dark kingdom. It glittered from his chest into her fingertips, where the shadowy silhouette gave way to an olive complexion, radiating red energy. Their power met halfway—garnet to gold.

He let it mix, until it was hot amber, and wondered to himself in the bliss, what am I going to do?

"Usagi?"

The blonde looked up at her three friends as they stood by their building waiting for the first bell of the day to ring. Minako cocked her head at her, brows furrowed with concern. "Are you okay?"

Usagi laughed and waved her off. "I keep telling you guys—I'm fine," she said. She looked over at the gate, but every student that arrived simply wasn't him. "I'm fine."

"You can talk to us, Usa," Makoto said softly. "Any time…"

"We've talked about it enough," Usagi replied, giving her a forced smile. "Seiya knows now, I just have to hope that one day she'll speak to me again…"

"She will come around, Usagi," Ami said kindly. "Taiki said that they have been very busy—try not to worry."

Usagi chewed at her lip, hiking her heavy school bag up onto her shoulder. All she wanted was to know that Seiya was okay. She had hoped, every single day, that she would show up at school, or perhaps to Crown's or the shrine, but she hadn't. She had hoped that maybe she would call her, or show up at her front door, or on her balcony.

She'd hoped for that, every single night.

She hadn't been surprised that Seiya had been gone the next morning when she woke, from the most peaceful slumber she could remember having in months. The memory of straddling her lap, touching her so intimately as she floated on the traces of her nightmare, fuelled with adrenaline and desire, left her flushed every time she thought about it. She had never felt this way before—never experienced lust like this; lust for another being; for life; for retribution and power. It was foreign and beautiful and infuriating—because there wasn't anything she could act upon, so instead it simmered inside her.

She was still putting the pieces together, when it came to Seiya—when it came to every uninvited thought that had ever entered her mind about the Starlight; when it came to how she felt about her. She was still pushing it away, because it couldn't matter—she had a destiny to fulfil.

Even so, it didn't stop her from wishing she could touch her again—to learn more about the sensation in her gut that she couldn't quite place.

"Usa!" Raf said with a grin as he jogged over, separating from his friends as they tossed a ball around the nearby basketball court. "You get all that chem homework done, lab partner?"

"No, I completely forgot," she groaned. Chemistry was the last thing on her mind, right now.

He shrugged. "Well, thanks to my tutor," he elbowed Ami in the ribs and she giggled, "I can share my notes before class." He smirked. "For a price, of course."

"Of course," she said dryly. "And what price would that be, Rafu?"

"I told you the other day," he said. He gave her a look. "Have you considered my proposal?"

"What proposal?" Minako asked sharply.

Makoto folded her arms over her chest, and before she could bombard the boy with questions, Usagi opened her mouth to interject, but another voice interrupted. "Yeah, Arakaki, what proposal?"

Usagi spun to him right away. "Seiya!" She said breathlessly as he joined them, bag slung over his shoulder and a soft smirk on his lips. "You're back!"

"Sure am," Seiya replied, giving her a wink. "Miss me?"

The relief that flooded her when she saw that cheeky demeanour once more was indescribable. Yes, she thought. More than you know.

Raf folded his arms across his broad chest, puffing it out slightly. "Thought you two broke up," he said, a brow arched at her.

Usagi rolled her eyes at him. "I told you, Raf, I'm not dating Seiya—"

"Maybe not," Seiya hummed, and than grinned devilishly. "You are looking mighty tired though, Odango—not sleeping quite as well without me there, huh?"

She gaped at him as the bell rang and he laughed, sneaking past her toward their building. "I—well—um—Seiya!"

"You're going to have to explain that one, Usa," Makoto told her, as Minako gawked at her, wide-eyed.

"Who's the player now?" Raf quipped, and Usagi was sure she saw the faintest touch of hurt cross his features as he snatched up his things and headed inside.

Taiki took Ami's hand. "Come, we should get to class."

Usagi trailed along behind, reeling at Seiya's comment. She hadn't told her friends about that night, and hadn't planned to—but here he was, bold as ever, leaving her awkward and flailing.

"I told you he'd come around," Yaten said casually as he wandered alongside her.

"He seems…" Usagi was searching for the right words, but couldn't place them.

"Fine?" He quirked a brow at her. "He's hurt, but that won't stop him from being number one."

She looked at the silver-haired senshi strangely, and he rolled his eyes intolerantly at her confusion. "Forget it…"

She made her way to class with the rest of her friends, utterly perplexed.

It didn't take long, once they were settled in class, to feel the sharp poke of Seiya's finger digging in to her shoulder blade. "What?" She hissed through clenched teeth.

"Here," he whispered. She held out her hand behind her back and he placed a note into it.

With the teacher's back turned to the board, she unfolded the note under her desk, smirking at his scrawled handwriting, which said:

Sorry I haven't been at school.

She stared at it in surprise. Why was he apologising to her?

You're not the one who needs to apologise, she wrote. Are you okay?

There was a good few minutes before he jabbed her shoulder again and gave her the note back, and Usagi wondered whether he was actually concentrating on schoolwork or thinking about what to say.

I'm fine. Tired, like you, he had written. She didn't know what to make of that. Are YOU okay?

Was she okay? She chewed at the end of her pen as she thought about what to say. I've been worried about you, she wrote. You've been avoiding me since the other night.

There was a quiet crumple of paper and the note was back her hand in seconds.

Couldn't stay away though, could I?

She turned to look at him at that, but he just smiled and shrugged, all cockiness and cheek. While her back was turned, their teacher cleared his throat. "Miss Tsukino," he said, "is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

She turned back and slumped in her chair, her friends trying to contain their laughter around her. "No…"

"Good," he said. "As I was saying…"

She fully intended on focusing on the classwork, but Seiya had other ideas as he poked his pen into her lower back. She yelped.

"Miss Tsukino…"

"Sorry, sorry," she mumbled, thankful she had avoided detention. A piece of scrunched paper flew over her shoulder skilfully and landed on her desk.

Don't get in trouble, Miss Tsukino, Seiya had written.

She hastily scribbled a note back and tossed it over her shoulder.

What is UP with you?!

She heard the huff of a chuckle and the scratch of a pen, before she had the note again.

You're more fun IN trouble, than OUT of it, it read, and then: Do I need to take out Rafu for you?

She bit back a laugh, and then wrote, No, he's harmless.

The note was tucked back into her fist. He's NOT. If this conversation were with him, it would be a lot less civil.

She wrote, You'd know.

He replied, So would you, apparently.

Her face flushed what she was certain was bright red. Oi…

He reached forward and slid the folded note onto her desk this time, right alongside her arm. He's too much trouble for a pretty girl.

She eyed the clock, knowing that the bell was moments from ringing, but jotted down a reply regardless. I thought I was more fun IN trouble?

He'd had the note long enough to read it when the bell rang, and he brushed past her as she collected her things. "You are," he murmured, sapphire eyes mischievous. "But only if I'm the one getting you out of it."

They shared a few chaste kisses in the lush gardens of Hikawa Shrine, when they had a few moments alone, walking hand in hand in the afternoon summer sun when no one was around, and Rini hoped that this could last forever.

Helios made her giggle, and made her feel whole within herself in ways that nobody else could. He looked at her with an admiring gaze that made her feel like he could see into her soul, and he openly adored her fierceness. They wandered the grassy grounds, kicking through fallen petals and speaking of their adventures together when he was Pegasus; before he was the boy she knew now.

"I've always felt emotions through the window of people's dreams—something I cherished deeply and am ever grateful for," he told her. "But when I met you, as I spent more time on Earth in your presence, I began to feel these emotions for myself, and what I felt for you was true."

They came to a stop nearby a willow tree. Rini bit her lip, unsure of what to say. He was too kind; too good, and she felt overwhelmed by this love they had found, so young and so soon. He sat down to lean against the trunk of the old tree, amongst the wildflowers and long tendrils of green, and she couldn't help but feel a stirring in her stomach. Even without his magnificent golden horn, he was as beautiful in his unearthly looks as the very first time she had seen him in his true form.

"What is it, Rini?"

She blushed, taking a seat next to him and scooting closer, until her shoulder was flush with his. She curled into his arm, head rested against his chest, and felt him relax a little into her. "Nothing," she told him.

She was always a worrier—always someone who struggled to remain in the moment and be grateful for what it was, then. As she snuggled in to his warmth and listened to his heartbeat, she could sense the rumblings of anxiety within her. How much longer could this go on? Wouldn't he have to return home, someday? Wouldn't she? Did she have ahome now?

It was like the moment joy was within reach, she forbid it, before tragedy could beat her to the punch.

"Why do you worry so much, my maiden?"

Rini looked up at him with wide eyes. "How did you know?"

He smiled. "Your thoughts are loud when something is bothering you."

"It's just…" She started with a sigh. "It's just that I'm afraid that this is all going to have to end soon. You'll have to go back to Elysion, and I…well, I don't know where I'll go…"

He smiled at her gently and then brushed his lips against hers. In an instant, her worries cleared, and instead her mind was filled with hopes and dreams of them, in all of their glory. He pulled away and she glared at him. "And then you do that and scramble my brain."

He laughed. "That was not my intention."

"Well you did," she groused. "Every time I kiss you I can see all these wonderful things that I want—like a future where we're happy, and everyone else around us is, too." She looked down into her lap. "I just want that to be true so badly…"

"You told me that the firsttime you kissed me you suddenly knew your purpose, Rini," Helios said. "You must have faith in that feeling."

"I know," she replied. The sunlight glinted in her onyx brooch and she tugged it from her blouse to look at it. "What do you think is going to happen when I finally use this?"

Helios was quiet for a moment, and when she looked up at him, his brow was furrowed in thought. "I think that more of your purpose is going to be revealed."

She ran her thumb over the pink star that sat in the centre of the heart. "You're always so cryptic," she whined.

"I'm only telling you what I believe to be true," he said, and then grinned. "I may be older and wiser than you, but I am no fortune teller, Rini."

She narrowed her eyes at him with a smirk. "Is that some of my attitude rubbing off on you, Helios?"

He chuckled, and then shrugged. "You never know."

You're right, she thought, his words far heavier than he realised they could be. You never do.

"I still can't understand how you convinced Miss Tachibana to give you another day's grace on that math homework, Seiya," Taiki said, as they wandered down the sidewalk toward Hikawa Shrine after the school day had ended. "She was very clear that extensions would not be accepted."

Yaten snorted, spinning on his heel and walking backward as he gave the group a look. "You're kidding, Taiki? Come on—you'd have to be blind not to see how he got that extension…" He met Seiya's eye with a hint of sarcastic flirtation. "'Oh, Miss Tachibana, I've just been so busy with appearances—I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I took an extra day, to make sure I do my best—'"

"Hey, I was just being friendly!"

Yaten rolled his eyes. "Bullshit…"

"I wish you would take your schoolwork more seriously," Taiki said. "You should make the most of the opportunity."

"Have you seenmy grades drop?" Seiya said, and when Taiki said nothing, he grinned. "Didn't think so."

"It's hardly fair," Usagi grumbled alongside him, pushing out her bottom lip. "You say a few nicewords to a teacher and get an extension—that's some pretty dirty tactics, if you ask me…"

He cocked a brow at her. "You know me, Odango," he teased.

She pouted even more, then.

Ami hummed thoughtfully. "I think Seiya has a valid reason to get an extension on his homework," she said.

"You, on the other hand, don't, Usagi," Makoto said.

"I have a very valid reason, I'll have you know," Usagi huffed.

"Like…?"

Minako skipped past her and snuck a textbook from her schoolbag, sliding out a thin comic that was hidden in its pages. "Reading comic books?"

"Snoozing?" Makoto added.

"You guys…" Usagi complained. "You know it's hard for me to focus on boring schoolwork…"

Something itched at Seiya—a memory from that gut-wrenching afternoon in the rain, when she had told him that her will was no longer strong. He knew it had nothing to do with the schoolwork, or her intelligence, or lack of commitment, for that matter. It had to do with her soul. He wanted to say it's not that—it's your desire to travel that wild imagination of yours; it's your romantic heart; your unrelenting strength; your search for happiness.

Those thoughts of her ached in the most beautiful way.

They ascended the stairs to the shrine, where Rei and the outer Sol senshi waited for them. An afternoon of training was ahead of them—something the Starlights had agreed to after some debate. If they were to fight together, side-by-side, they had to work as a team, and this was the simplest way to make sure that happened.

"How was school?" Rei asked them as they made their way over to where they were sitting on the porch.

"Fine," Yaten answered, and then smirked. "Seiya landed in Usagi detention, though."

"Again, Usa?" Rei chided, her hands on her hips.

Usagi mumbled something unintelligible and tossed her bag onto the ground. Seiya thought he identified the words 'stupid' and 'attention-seeking'.

He could feel eyes on him, and when he looked across at Haruka, she was staring straight at him. Michiru and Setsuna seemed equally as cautious. "I'm going to get changed," he announced, slipping through the doorway and down the hall.

Their hostility was no surprise—he had shown up on their turf, angry and accusatory, and Haruka had responded accordingly. They deserved every word he had dealt them—they should have done better by Usagi. It didn't matter—he wasn't on Earth to make friends with them—he was there to help Usagi; to restore peace to their galaxy, and in turn, protect his own.

The thought felt like a lie, as he thought that's not really why you're here.

He sighed loudly as he slid the door to an empty room closed and put his bag down. He unstrapped the guitar bag he'd carried with him to school and tore off his uniform, tugging on jeans and a t-shirt in its place. The day had been tough—seeing Odango was both a deadweight in his stomach and a hum in his chest, but he had to admit: the moment he'd made her smile, made her blush, it became a little easier. He couldn't stay mad at her, no matter how hard he tried.

"Rini, we have to meet up with everyone—we're going to be late…"

His keen hearing caught the boy's hushed voice down the hallway, and he opened the slider to stick his head out. The couple were coming in through the back way from the gardens, hand in hand, and before Helios could pull her in the direction of the rest of the group, Rini tugged him in for a peck on the lips.

Seiya rolled his eyes. "Just friends, huh?"

Rini jumped a foot away from Helios, her cheeks scarlet. "Um, we were just—um…" She glared at him. "It's none of your business anyway!"

Seiya laughed at her. "You're right, it's not," he said. "But I'm sure Odango will make it hers, if she catches you."

"I'll meet you out there, Rini," Helios said, slipping by her.

Rini wandered over to Seiya, her eyes still narrowed at him. "You won't tell her."

"No, I won't," he said, walking with her. He smirked, taking the opportunity to stir her up. "Now do we need to have the birds and the bees conversation, or…?"

"No!" Rini screeched, looking mortified. "I may be young, but I'm not as clueless as Usagi, you know!"

Seiya looked up at the ceiling, his mind drifting back to the feel of Usagi's weight over his hips, her fingers on his chest, the look in her eyes, and then, painfully, to how Rini would come to be, someday. "You don't give her enough credit," he said vaguely.

She looked up at him, red eyes watching him closely. "Is everything okay between the two of you?"

"It will be," Seiya told her. He gave her a smile. "Don't worry yourself about that."

She chewed at her lip. "Okay."

They met the group on the grass and he stood alongside Taiki and Yaten, who had both transformed in preparation for their mock-battle. He scoffed at them. "Lazy…"

"Unlike you, we have to transform to use our powers, you ass," Yaten bristled.

"Who said we were using powers?" Seiya said.

"It's your own choice of weapon," Michiru replied. "Whatever provides your opponent with a challenge."

"Speaking of challenges," Haruka started, staring him down. "No unfair advantages, Kou."

He quirked a brow at her in return. "I'd hardly say that I have an advantage over these women in this form," he said, and then shrugged. "But fine."

There was always something so utterly revealing about morphing into his alternate form in front of other people, but he didn't care—if anything, it gave him a bit of a rush; he always was a show-off. He remembered his mother reprimanding him as a child for it, and his cousins looking at him like he was a little crazy. He did it anyway.

He relaxed and let his transformation take hold, that indescribable sensation of skin tightening and bones lengthening and muscles changing trickling through his entire being. She smirked back at Haruka, folding her arms deliberately under her free bust. "Better?"

"Fractionally," Haruka said.

Seiya rolled her eyes at the frosty senshi, and then felt someone else watching her. Her gaze went to Usagi, who was watching at her, lip bitten. Before she could ask, she looked away, cheeks flushed.

"Right—pair up!" Haruka barked. "Hotaru, I know you've been training Helios so you go with him, Rini, you sit out and watch—"

"I am not sitting out!" Rini cried. "If Usagi gets to train then why can't I?"

Usagi dragged herself to her feet. "I've had a lot more practice than you, Rini—"

"I might've had practice, you don't know!" Rini said. She spun to Seiya. "Seiya's seen me fight, she knows I can!"

Yaten sniggered as she teamed up with Minako. "She sure can—almost took me out with her clumsiness…"

"Rini can fight," Seiya told them, giving her a nod. "She's good."

Rini beamed. "Told you!"

Setsuna looked over at Haruka. "I don't know if it's the best idea—"

"Come on!" Rini pleaded.

"She can fight with me," Seiya said, inclining her head for Rini to follow. "I'll go easy on her."

"Hey!"

Haruka stared at her for a moment. "Fine," she said.

Seiya didn't care whether she had Haruka's consent—instead, she looked at Usagi. "That okay?"

Usagi blinked at her. "Of course, why are you asking me?"

Seiya chuckled and shook her head. "Let's go," she said to Rini.

"You don't have to go easy on me, you know," Rini said as they got themselves set up nearby.

"Yeah I do."

"No you don't," Rini insisted. "I can be pretty strong, when I need to be."

"I know you can," Seiya said idly. She jogged away from her, putting distance between them, and then opened her arms as an invitation. "How about I give you the first shot." She grinned. "You're going to need it."

Rini let out a huff of determination and came charging at her, fist raised. "Whoa!" She breathed, as Seiya swiftly dodged her punch.

"You're going to have to try better than that," Seiya laughed. "Do we need to find you a weapon?"

"No," Rini replied, pushing up her sleeves. "I can do this without one…"

She took another swing, skimming Seiya's t-shirt as she jumped back. "Can you…?"

Rini swung her leg out to kick and Seiya ducked, landing on her haunches. "Maybe what I saw back on Kinmoku was just some good luck!" She goaded.

"Oh, you are such a—" She started to growl, but Seiya swooped a leg wide and knocked Rini's legs out from under her, sending her straight to the grass.

Seiya smirked. "Show me what you've got, kid."

Rini's eyes narrowed and she jumped to her feet with a grunt, far more agile on her feet than Seiya had seen her since she'd fought the girl on Kinmoku. They circled one another momentarily, and then Rini moved fast, jabbing her in the ribs and delivering a knee to her gut. Her strength wasn't enough to injure her, and her reaction time was still inexperienced and slow, leaving Seiya a window to grab her wrist and twist it—not enough to hurt her, but enough to hamper her next move. "Better," she said, "but still not enough."

Rini growled, expression fierce, and with her free hand reached for the brooch on her chest, fingers grasped around its heart shape and curling around its golden wings. Seiya had never seen the locket before—and suddenly, she couldn't take her eyes off it.

"How about this…" Rini tugged it off, holding it above her head. "Moon—"

"No, Rini!" Usagi yelled, racing to her side. She snatched the brooch from her hand, but dropped it just as quickly, hissing as though it had burned her.

"Odango, what…?" Seiya started, but then frowned as she watched Usagi cradle her hand in the other. "Are you okay…?"

"She's fine!" Rini snapped, scooping up her locket from the ground and glaring at Usagi. "Five minutes ago you said I could fight—you didn't even care—and now you're over here protecting me—I don't need your help!"

The teenager stormed away, with Hotaru following closely behind. Seiya shook her head and approached Usagi, who was staring at the palm of her hand strangely, swiping her thumb over the skin as though it were tender. "Let me see…"

Seiya took her hand to inspect it. She squinted as the remnants of a burn mark, in the pattern of a pointed scar, rapidly disappeared from her palm. "What the hell...?"

Usagi wasn't paying attention to her hand any more—she was looking over Seiya's shoulder for Rini. "I don't know!" She exclaimed. "I told her she can't transform—after what happened to me, I'm not taking the risk. It's not worth her getting hurt."

Seiya eyed her, the tiny hints of her maternal instinct that she had seen over their time together finally falling in to place. Her chest felt heavy. "I know," she said gently, squeezing her hand. "But maybe she has to find that out for herself."

After training, Seiya disappeared to fetch Rini, after neither Hotaru nor Helios could convince her to join them. Usagi grouched about it, complaining that Rini was a brat who needed to 'respect her elder', but worrying about the girl all the same. "I just know what's best for her, you know…"

Ami bit back a smile, leaning back in to Taiki's chest as they watched their other friends kick a soccer ball around the grounds. "I don't know about that, Usagi…"

Usagi leant back on her forearms and soaked in the last of the sun's reddish rays. "I wonder what they're talking about…"

"You, Odango-head!"

Rini bopped her on the head as she leapt past her, sprawling herself unceremoniously on the grass next to Usagi. She poked her tongue out at her.

Usagi scowled at her. "Better have only been nice things!"

"I can assure you it wasn't," Seiya teased as she sat down across from her. She had her acoustic guitar in her arms, and once she made herself comfortable—legs splayed and arms cradled around the wooden instrument—she started to strum the strings lightly.

"Come to show off, have you?" Yaten said. She took a seat with the rest of the group after they finished off their game.

Seiya continued to pluck at the strings, the combination of notes mesmerising. "This was the only way to get Rini to come out here," she said.

Rini smiled and hummed appreciatively, her eyes closed and her arms out long over her head. "You made a deal."

"I did."

The outer warriors hadn't intended on staying, but Usagi knew Rei had convinced them to enjoy some take out with them before they left for home. Even though they had all shared a space together before, under numerous circumstances, it felt strange—a large group of warriors and ethereal beings, who had been both divided and united in the past, sitting together under a warm summer sunset, for no other purpose than to be in each other's company. Usagi watched Haruka closely—her guarded manner as strong as ever.

"Dinner won't be long," Rei said, emerging from inside to join them.

Haruka cleared her throat. "There is some senshi business we should address, while everyone is here—"

Usagi groaned loudly. "Do we have to?"

Michiru placed a hand on her lover's arm. "Later, Ruka."

"Thank you," Usagi said happily. "I've had enough senshi talk—the whole training session it was 'the enemy this' and 'the enemy that'…"

"Maybe if you could manage to get a good shot in Haruka wouldn't have to remind you all the time, Usa," Minako said.

"Says you," Yaten quipped.

The blonde's jaw dropped. "I was perfect, thank you very much—"

"Ha! Yeah right!"

"Both of you sucked," Makoto added, and then grinned proudly. "I was the only one who chose not to use their powers—just good old hand-to-hand combat!"

"Oi, so did I!" Usagi defended.

Seiya chuckled. "You had no choice, Odango."

She huffed and shot her a glare, though was unable to maintain it as the tone of her melody changed—slow and yearning, quiet and distinct.

"Will you sing, Seiya?" Rini asked suddenly, sitting upright.

The others were eager. "Oh, yes, we'd love that!"

Usagi's heart skipped the tiniest of beats—she'd never heard her sing in her female voice, and it was something she had wished to hear for a very long time. "Sing for us, Seiya," she said.

Seiya said nothing for a moment, exchanging a glance between Yaten and Taiki, and then nodded. "Alright," she said, and then jokingly fumbled the guitar in her hands and shook out her shoulders.

"Always the clown," Yaten muttered.

Seiya grinned, and with one downward stroke of a perfect chord, she started to sing.

Oh.

Usagi felt her body grow still and hot, like someone had poured molten liquid into her veins—like her whole body was riding on the wave of her beautiful sound. She wondered how—how—a voice could make her feel that way—how could she be so immobilised, so taken, by another being?

Her voice was just the same, but then so different, all at once. It had a raspy edge to it, a height that her male voice couldn't hit, and a velvety richness that was alluring and spine tingling. She closed her eyes as she sang, body loose and leaning with the tune, her calloused fingers and experienced wrists moving rapidly over the guitar to match the upbeat yet touching song. Watching her was simply hypnotic.

Oh.

That feeling was becoming easier to place, now.

Rini let out a hoot of appreciation as Seiya's song crescendoed, her cousins tapping along with the beat. It was clear that she didn't care—this was her element, her gift and her soul, and nothing was going to stop her. She drew to a close and the group applauded her—all but Haruka, who looked surly as ever—and she bowed her head playfully.

"That was awesome, Seiya!"

Rini was grinning from ear to ear. "That was so cool!"

Usagi locked eyes with Seiya, and for a moment, she couldn't look away. Seiya gave her a smile back and then addressed Rini. "Of course it was!"

They were all laughing and coming down off the high of Seiya's impromptu performance, but amongst the fun, something captured Usagi's attention. She stared across the grounds, where the eerie blue light of dusk consumed the last of the sun's brilliance, and saw a movement in the shadows. The others continued to joke and chat, but she could feel herself growing ice cold as she got to her feet and slowly approached. She knew who it was—she knew better; she should have alerted someone, but just like before, she found herself entranced by him.

"Guardian…"

She gasped as her shoulder blades pinched tightly, her palm singed, and her forehead began to ache, and in an instant, everything changed. Darkness, everywhere. Noise, everywhere.

"Odango!"

She was breathing heavy, like she'd been attacked, but Chaos was no where near her—still hovering in the shadows of the tree line, but growing closer. Seiya was in front of her then protectively, and she was flanked by her fellow warriors, ready and waiting.

He came in to view, that slanted smile and those blackened eyes handsomely twisted. "Together, as I wanted you," he said. "How perfect."

"You should not be here!" Sailor Mars shouted, her fiery arrow drawn. "This is a sacred space!"

"We will fight him anyway," Sailor Uranus rumbled. "World—"

"Hold on!" Usagi found herself calling, before she could stop herself. There was more to this—she could feel it. "What do you want?"

"I am not here to fight you," he said. "I am here to finish my offer."

The hair stood on the back of her neck.

"Stay away from her," Seiya snarled, bolts of blue firing threateningly in her palms and sparks crawling up her arms, illuminating each inch in sapphire.

"Wait," Usagi said, grasping her arm and ignoring the sting. "What offer?"

Chaos laughed. The sound was like thunder. "You know what offer, Guardian," he told her. He moved toward them menacingly. "The very same one that I made to you during your deepest, darkest dreams—but we were interrupted, weren't we?"

He was close enough to see the veins beneath his taut muscle and the markings across his skin—like scarred symbols, angry and red. Seiya raised a hand. "I've told you once, and I'll tell you again: I will sacrifice my life to protect hers!"

Chaos smirked. "I do not doubt it." His dark eyes were fixated on Seiya's buzzing power that was creeping into her torso. "But you are far too important to waste, Aoi one."

Seiya seethed, but before she could take her shot, Hotaru claimed the space between them. "But I am not," she said calmly. "I will destroy you."

"Hotaru, no!" Rini cried. She tried to run forward, but Haruka caught her waist. "Please don't—there's another way, I know it—"

Usagi shook her head angrily as Hotaru swung her glaive at Chaos, its sharp end pointed at his head. Her fists shook at her sides, her vision blurred, and she felt cinders stir in the pit of her belly. "You will not, Saturn," she commanded, her voice strong. Hotaru hesitated, and then lowered her weapon. "What, offer?"

Chaos was unmoved by their threats. "I can help you fight it—the thing you are most afraid of," he said. "But you have to give in first—give in to all that anger, all that desire, all that fear, hidden under all that good."

"Don't listen to him, Sailor Moon," Seiya warned, but she ignored her, glare locked on Chaos.

"I've seen what you want, Guardian, and it goes against everything you are destined to be," he said. "Revenge, anger, lust—for those you cannot have."

"Stop it," she hissed.

"If you want control, you have to let go," he tormented. "Destroy me, and you can have it all."

She had to know. "How?"

"I walk only in those strong enough to hold me—and few can," he said, eye moving amongst the scouts and lingering on Seiya. "Find the source, Guardian, and kill it." He smirked. "I know it will break you to do it, and I so look forward to that."

"Odango, he's playing you—don't listen to him—"

"We have danced around this path long enough, you and I," Chaos hummed, tilting his head, his hair falling like a curtain across his striking face. "Follow me." He smiled. "I promise, you won't be disappointed."