Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory
Act 79: Prying Eyes
By: Sora Kazeno
Seiya is temporarily tongue tied at the sight of his beloved. After a few seconds he snaps out of it. "Odango…" he calls her name softly.
"I was just leaving," Usagi hesitantly responds. She's not ready for this. She wasn't ready to talk to him when the girls were in her room and she defiantly is not ready to talk to him in front of his cousins and the two senshi behind her that still clearly dislike him.
"Odango, wait," Seiya tries again, stepping forward.
Usagi can't look at him. She can't handle the pain. "Do I have to give you an order to leave me alone?" She didn't know what else to say to get out of this situation. She has to escape.
Seiya is taken aback by her harsh words. He can barely manage a response. "No."
Usagi bolts past the Three Lights heading to the elevator as the tears she tried to hold back completely burst free. She hits the elevator button looking at the floor highlighted above the door to determine its location. It will take several minutes minimum to reach her. She doesn't care she is on the top floor, she opens the door to the staircase and goes down a flight before collapsing onto the stairs sobbing.
If Haruka and Michiru still needed to be convinced there were issues between Usagi and Seiya this was all the confirmation they needed.
Haruka scowls looking at Seiya. Whatever is causing Usagi to act like this, it's because of him. She is sure of it. She walks out of her apartment to her "teammate" that she dislikes the most. "What the hell happened over there?" She closes the gap between her and Seiya trying to use her slightly taller height to intimidate him.
Seiya doesn't back down. He's angry at what just transpired between him and Usagi. Haruka is adding gas to the fire. "It's personal."
Haruka snickers at his response. "It must be if she wants you to leave her alone. It's like she doesn't want anything to do with you." She rubs salt in the wound.
Seiya's right hand shakes, trying not to snap. "This doesn't concern you," his voice is low, threatening.
"It does since it looks like I'm going to have to protect her from you," Haruka retorts. She wants to make her message very clear. "Stay the fuck away from her."
"Haruka!" Michiru pulls on the back of her jacket to try to rein her in before things escalate any further. The last thing any of them need is a fight to break out with the Three Lights.
"Let it go," Taiki stands in front of Seiya. He knows if he doesn't block Seiya he is going to do something stupid when he is this angry. Haruka has been baiting him the entire time. "This will not solve anything." He tries to reason with Seiya.
Seiya seethes at Taiki for standing in his way. "No." He tries to step around Taiki but Yaten is there.
"You're not thinking clearly. She's not worth it." Yaten gestures with his head to Haruka only to discover Michiru had dragged Haruka back inside their apartment and closed the door.
Taiki opens the door to their apartment.
Seiya glares at the door of their neighbor before he walks inside his shared apartment and goes directly to his room, slamming his bedroom door behind him. Odango tried to hide the tears but he saw them when she ran pass him. He's the one causing her pain. He crumbles to the floor burying his face in his hands.
It takes Usagi almost thirty minutes before she is able to make it the rest of the way down the staircase to the exit. She was naïve to think she wouldn't run into him. The expression on his face when she first saw him stings. She had never seen him so depressed.
She frowns. It is his own fault! He never should have been kissing Shiori. How he could not tell he was kissing someone else? Her hands are clenched tightly at her sides as she starts to make her way home.
But she's not ready to go home. She takes a long detour to stop at Arisugawa no Miya Park. She takes some of the back paths near the large pond where she knows it will be less crowded. Her feet take her over to the Plum Woods where she sits on a bench under a wooden pagoda. This is the same spot where everyone spoke after they were attacked by Jadeite and learned the Starlights returned to Earth.
She felt so hopeless over the thought of facing Queen Beryl at that time. Who would have thought she would feel similar again but due to the person she gave her heart to? By herself, away from everything she has time to think. The sounds of the city are muted by the trees. She needs to figure out what she wants.
The following day, Makoto arrives at Usagi's house, hoping she will have better luck than Ami had yesterday.
"Usagi is in her room," Shingo explains to Makoto as he lets her inside. He returns back to the video game console in front the television. His parents are out to dinner.
"Thank you…" Makoto takes off her shoes and starts climbing the stairs, carrying her bag carefully in both hands with the cookies she baked for Usagi last night.
She can hear the radio playing from behind the closed door. She listens for a moment to the song lyrics and it has her worried what state of mind Usagi is in.
Please let me take you
Out of the darkness and into the light
'Cause I have faith in you
That you're gonna make it through another night
Stop thinking about the easy way out
There's no need to go and blow the candle out
Because you're not done
You're far too young
And the best is yet to come
So just give it one more try to a lullaby
And turn this up on the radio
If you can hear me now, I'm reaching out
To let you know that you're not alone
And you can't tell, I'm scared as hell
'Cause I can't get you on the telephone
So just close your eyes (close your eyes)
Oh, honey, here comes a lullaby
Your very own lullaby*
As the music picks back up, Makoto knocks on the door loudly. Of course Usagi has been depressed over everything, but it's not that bad, is it? "Usagi-chan?" She is trying not to panic.
A few seconds later the radio is shut off. Makoto waits a few more moments before the door handle moves.
Usagi opens the door. She has her hair pulled back into a very loose ponytail. Her eyes look a little puffy. "Mako-chan?" She nods her head a little. "I was wondering which one of you would show up today to check on me."
Makoto teardrops a little. Usagi figured it out sooner than any of them expected. Maybe they really underestimated Usagi. "How are you feeling?"
Usagi shrugs. "Not much has changed since I last saw everyone." She sits down at the table in front of her bed. "I saw Haruka-san yesterday to give her the communicator Queen Kakyuu made for her."
Makoto sits down across from Usagi as she pulls the cookies out of the bag and places them on the table. "How did that go?"
"I showed her how to use the communicator but then she wanted to know why I attacked Sailor Pluto." Usagi stares at the table. "If I tell her why I attacked Sailor Pluto, they'll tell Mamo-chan and…" she doesn't need to finish her sentence. "As I was leaving their apartment, I ran into him..."
The brunette stops pulling out the bag of cookies. She's not sure if Usagi is referring to Seiya or Mamoru. She guesses the first. "You mean Seiya-kun?"
Usagi slowly nods her head. "I almost had to give him an order to leave me alone."
Makoto gasps quietly, not realizing things have become this bad.
"I'm not ready to talk to him yet... especially in front of everyone," Usagi finally looks up from the table.
"What happened on Kinmoku… was shocking," Makoto responds slowly. "It was… very unexpected." She tests the water further, "But we can all see that you miss him Usagi-chan."
The blonde looks at her tall friend. "… I…" she turns her head to look at the poster of the Three Lights above her bed and sighs. She's not ready. "How is school?" She changes the subject.
Makoto frowns slightly. Usagi is so guarded in her responses. Maybe checking on her so often is making things worse. If Usagi needed someone to talk to she would reach out to them. She dismisses the idea. Usagi would hide things from them so they wouldn't worry which in the long run would only make them worry more. "School is going okay. I was thinking of having everyone over soon to try a new recipe."
Usagi smiles a little at the mention of food. "I always love the times we can get together at your apartment and eat some of your amazing food."
She beams. "I'll call the other girls tonight to see what day will work. What about you Usagi-chan?"
"Any day is fine," Usagi responds realizing how much free time she has. She had once wanted to visit each planet with the other girls but they seem to be so busy while time is just passing her by. Everyone has other dreams to follow while she sits around until she takes her place at the Silver Millennium.
Makoto sees the far off look on Usagi's face as she passes her a few chocolate chip cookies.
Usagi grabs a cookie and bites into it. "Hmmm."
"Usagi-chan… I, rather we were all surprised about that dream or premonition you only shared with Rei-chan."
"I… wasn't sure how to bring it up or what it meant. I don't want to make all my decisions on the future that I've already seen. What if… it doesn't come true?"
"What if it does? Is that what you want Usagi-chan?"
Usagi can't answer Makoto's question because she is torn right now. If she was asked that question before going to Kinmoku she wouldn't be hesitating. Everything was perfect with Seiya. She takes a deep breath. Could they ever have that back?
When Usagi doesn't answer, Makoto tries asking again in a different way. "What would make you happy?"
Usagi fights back tears. "I don't know anymore. I still can't find Chibi Usa's starseed. I can't go back in time and save her. I can't undo what Sailor Pluto has done."
"You can't change the past but you can change how those events shape your future."
Usagi looks at Makoto wide eyed. "What do you mean?"
"Everyone has moments or events in their life they wish they could change. I wish my parents never died in the plane crash. But I know that will never happen," Makoto looks over at Usagi. "It took me a while to recover from that, it was why I was so hard to talk to. I didn't want to get to know anyone thinking they would abandon me too. If I didn't save you from those boys on the way to school, I would hate to imagine how things would have turned out." She smiles. "But meeting you and everyone else, being a Sailor Senshi, changed everything."
Usagi takes a few moments to grasp how Makoto's story relates to her own. "Being a senshi did change all of our lives," Usagi agrees. "Becoming Sailor Cosmos changed everything…" she continues. "I thought I was okay with all the changes."
"You were really happy with Seiya-kun. I know you are hurting now and you have to do what is right for you," Makoto pushes a few more cookies closer to Usagi. "But just make sure in the long run it is what you want."
Usagi leans back against her bed. "Things were going so well between us… why did he…" She closes her eyes tightly. "I can't stop seeing an image of the two of them together."
"That must have been difficult to see," Makoto agrees. "But Seiya-kun doesn't seem the kind of person to kiss someone else."
"…well…" Usagi is quiet as she nibbles on a few more cookies, sending a message she didn't want to talk any more about her and Seiya. "I think I want to nap for a little while."
"Okay," Makoto begins to gather her belongings.
"Everyone doesn't have to check on me every day," Usagi comments, causing Makoto to stop in her tracks.
The brunette turns back around. "We're worried about you Usagi-chan. You've been through a lot. We want to help you in any way that we can."
Usagi tries to reassure Makoto with a sad smile. "I'll be okay. It is going to take me some time to adjust to everything and figure out what I'm going to do."
"Just remember you don't have to face this alone. You have all of us." Without another word Makoto leaves giving Usagi the space she needs.
As she put on her shoes near the front door, Ikuko approaches her. "Is Usagi okay? She doesn't seem like herself."
"Everything will be fine," Makoto tries to reassure Usagi's mom.
Ikuko frowns. "I'm surprised Seiya-kun only called once since Usagi has been back, did something happen?"
Makoto thinks quickly. "I'm sure he's really busy with the new album."
Ikuko doesn't completely believe Makoto. "I hope that is the only reason."
Usagi softly turned on the radio after Makoto left. She flips on the radio and Nagareboshi He is playing, the original ballad version. Her eyes immediately look at Seiya on the poster over her bed when she hears his voice. Her eyes close as she listens to his voice. The same question on her mind, how can she move past this? If she had an answer to this, everything would be so much easier. What is it that she really needs? What is missing?
Seiya sighs as he sits down in the break room at the studio the following day. He's unsure if his performance today was as bad if not worse than yesterday. Taiki and Yaten are annoyed at him. The producer doesn't understand what is going on with him but it was clear he was not in a good place mentally to sing and told him to clear his head while he goes over some potential lyric changes with Yaten and Taiki. A polite way of telling Seiya to get his act together when he comes back.
They are supposed to be recording Star Line. Another song he wrote about Usagi when he returned to Kinmoku, leaving her behind on Earth to be happy with her boyfriend. He tries to focus but all he can picture is her face.
This is worse than being on Kinmoku and thinking he would never see her again. She is so close by but doesn't want to see him. Being with her was like walking on air. And now that he lost her he doesn't know what to do. She was moments away from giving him an order not to talk to her. When did it come to this? He stands up abruptly. The more he thinks about last night, the more worked up he becomes.
He pauses in front of the radio and turns it on. He needs to do something to distract himself to get his emotions under control. He is supposed to be able to sing regardless of whatever problems he is facing in his personal life. That is what professionals do. The song on the radio draws his attention as he listens to the words.
Baby, this love
I'll never let it die
Can't be touched by no one
I'd like to see 'em try
I'm a mad man for your touch, girl, I've lost control
I'm gonna make this last forever, don't tell me it's impossible
'Cause I love you for infinity (oh-oh-oh)
I love you for infinity (oh-oh-oh)
'Cause I love you for infinity (oh-oh-oh)
I love you for infinity (oh-oh-oh)
Oh, darling, my soul
You know it aches for yours
And you've been filling this hole
Since you were born, oh
'Cause you're the reason I believe in fate, you're my paradise
And I'll do anything to be your love or be your sacrifice
'Cause I love you for infinity (oh-oh-oh)
I love you for infinity (oh-oh-oh)
'Cause I love you for infinity (oh-oh-oh)
I love you for infinity (yeah-eh, oh-oh-oh)*
This song gives him the clarity he needs at the moment. The lyrics give him a few ideas for the song he started on the plane ride during the tour. The one with a melody written but still no useable lyrics since nothing seemed right. He tried to work on it on Kinmoku but nothing sounded right either. His concept for the song didn't work with the melody no matter how many late nights he stayed up re-writing it and trying different things.
A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. He starts to write down what he would say to Usagi the next time they talked. The page is quickly filled by line after line of different ideas, phrases, or images.
Minako arrives at the studio to find Taiki and Yaten in a foul mood. "Everything okay…?" She asks Yaten quietly; unsure of what kind of response she is going to receive.
"Seiya had a bad morning trying to record the new song with us and now we can't find him. He was told to take a break and clear his head and he disappeared," Yaten grumbles.
"Have you checked the whole building?" Minako asks, surprised to find Seiya missing. "I'll help you look."
Yaten grunts. "Fine. I think we checked everywhere." He looks around and lowers his voice. "I'm about to call him on his communicator if he doesn't show up soon."
Minako raises her eyebrows. "Why don't we check the studio one more time and if we can't find him, then try that?" She suggests.
Slowly the duo goes room by room for any sign of Seiya asking other people along the way if they had seen him.
Finally they get a lead. "I think I saw him in the break room a little while ago. The one located on the third floor." One of the assistants suggests on her way out of the building to pick up lunch.
Yaten grumbles. He didn't go up to the third floor. He focused on their current floor and the first floor. He doesn't speak a word to Minako as they go up the flight of stairs to the break room.
Minako can see the irritable mood Yaten is in and she's learned times like this it's better to just stand by him rather than talk to him.
Yaten entered the room first and is about to start yelling at Seiya for disappearing but stops when he sees Seiya hunched over the table scribbling with a pen muttering quietly to himself.
The white haired member of the Three Lights recognizes this posture. Seiya is working on a song. He shakes his head. If he is focused enough to be working on music maybe we'll be able to record the song. "I hope this means you're ready to get back to work."
Seiya jumps when Yaten starts talking to him, nearly falling out of the chair. "Where did you come from?"
"We've been looking for you the past hour. We need to get back to recording," Yaten quickly explains as he walks over to the table to see what Seiya was working on it. He finds sheets of paper with lines written down, crossed off, and re-written a few different times. "What are you working on?"
"A song idea," Seiya explains quickly grabbing everything and putting it into his pocket.
"I'm going to find Taiki. Meet us in the studio," Yaten explains as he walks to the doorway. He turns to Minako, "are you coming?"
"I'm going to talk to Seiya-kun for a minute," Minako explains hoping she could have a moment with Seiya.
"Just make it quick," Yaten walks out of the room assuming Seiya is going to again ask how Usagi is. The man is hopeless.
"I got a call from Naru-chan the other day. Usagi-chan's bracelet is ready," Minako informs him quietly.
Seiya sighs loudly. He had completely forgotten about the bracelet. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to give her a present if she doesn't want to see me." He slowly admits out loud.
"Usagi-chan is still really upset," Minako confirms. She pauses, she never really talked to Seiya regarding what happened; she only witnessed the first time he tried to talk to Usagi and what Usagi had told her later on. "So you were asleep when Shiori-chan…"
"I would never do that to Odango," Seiya responds without a second of hesitation. "I'm still furious at Shiori-chan for coming into my room when I was asleep and it's a good thing we're not on the same planet right now. She had this crazy idea that because of the change in the laws I would leave Odango after everything that happened because we were having problems." His voice grows quieter. "It never should have happened and I wish Odango had never seen that." His eyes focus on Minako. "I don't know what to do."
Minako looks at how distraught he is. "You really love her don't you?"
"Of course," Seiya responds, surprised Minako is asking him such a question. "She's everything to me."
Minako nods her head as she plots. "I'm going to see Usagi-chan tomorrow and there might be a way I can convince her to come to the studio to see a recording…" Her voice trails off as the wheels turn in her head to play cupid between the two of them. "I think you can work it out. I know she still loves you."
"I hope so." Seiya agrees wanting to repair the damage in their relationship. He tries to be optimistic but each passing day makes it difficult.
Seiya pauses outside of OSAP that evening. He called Naru back to let her know he would stop by. The rest of rehearsal was significantly better for him. Writing the song lyrics and the possibility of seeing Usagi at the studio tomorrow really brightened his spirits. For a while he could focus on just the music and block everything else out.
He walks around the corner to the back entrance that was left open for him. He was so excited to buy this present for Usagi, picturing how happy she would be when she saw it. Things were going so well back then. He sighs. There has to be a way to fix things, he just doesn't know how yet.
Taking a deep breath, he heads inside hoping Naru hasn't spoken to Usagi regarding their recent problems.
"Hi Seiya-kun!" Naru eagerly greets him. "The bracelet looks amazing and I just know Usagi is going to love it!" She smiles at him. "I've been so busy I haven't seen Usagi in a while but I'm not going to miss her birthday." Naru lowers her voice a little to ask something she has been wondering for the past few weeks. "How are you going to give Usagi her present?"
Seiya teardrops at how quickly Naru shifted the direction of the conversation. "I haven't figured out all the details yet. I have a performance the night before so I'm still trying to work it out."
Naru nods, "maybe after her birthday then." She suggests pulling out a box from under the counter.
"It might have to be," Seiya agrees, still not hinting anything is wrong between him and Usagi. "Everything has been hectic since we moved a few days ago."
"Oh? Your new place is ready?" Naru comments, surprised it already happened. She opens the lid of the box so Seiya can see the finished bracelet. "I'll get my mother so she can finish the sale and update your contact information."
"Sure," Seiya is half paying attention as he picks up the box to look at the bracelet now with pale pink jewels. He stares at the crescent moon and star charm. It was the perfect present for her at the time. He hopes it will still be the perfect present for her now and in the future.
"Is everything to your liking?" Naru's mother asks as she greets Seiya.
They talk briefly as she updates his contact information, assuring him the information will be kept in a safe place.
Seiya pays for the rest of the bracelet, "Thank you again for everything. It's amazing how fast you were able to make the changes. It looks beautiful." He closes the box gingerly and passes it back to Naru's mother to place it in a bag.
Naru was hoping to have more information from Seiya regarding when Usagi would receive her present. "You know… we are leaving Usagi's house around five on her birthday. Maybe you could make it there before then?"
Seiya nods his head. Thankful Naru provided that information. He plays if off. "I'll see what my schedule is for the week." He pauses with a frown. "Sometimes it's really hard." It's hard to find free time to see Usagi sometimes but right now he has a bit more free time but Usagi doesn't want to see him. He says goodbye to the two red heads and leaves.
He lets out a deep breath and starts to make his way to the subway to head home. The entire way he is brainstorming what he can say to Usagi tomorrow if he sees her at the studio.
The following morning, Minako finds Usagi in bed listening to music on her Discman. "You can't stay in bed all day!"
Usagi turns away from Minako as she shuts off her music. "I can if I want to."
Minako tries a different tactic. "What were you listening to?" She reaches for the Discman and opens the lid, revealing a Three Lights CD.
Usagi turns over and reaches for the device. "Hey! You can't just take my things!" She whines as she grabs it back.
Minako sits down on the bed next to Usagi. "So you were listening to their music?"
Usagi looks away. "I like their music…" she mumbles.
Minako smirks. This might be easier than she originally thought. "Have you been to the studio for a recording? I have one later for a song I'm working on it. Did you want to come?"
Usagi looks at Minako for a few minutes. "A recording in a music studio?" She is surprised by the invitation.
"Yup!"
"I've never been to one before," Usagi adds with excitement at the offer.
"Great! But you have to get up and I thought we could get something to eat quickly on the way there." Minako lays it on thick knowing just what she needs to say to get Usagi out of bed.
"Hmmm. Can we have curry?" Usagi asks as she finally gets out of bed.
Minako tries to build up the excitement, "anything you want!"
Usagi gets up and twenty minutes later they are leaving the home.
Standing in front of the studio, Usagi is hesitant. It wasn't until they arrived a few minutes ago she first realized she might run into Seiya. Why didn't she think of this sooner?
Minako picks up on the shift in Usagi. "What are you worried about Usagi-chan?"
"Nothing…" Usagi responds slowly. She doesn't want to talk to about Seiya, especially not here at the studio when he could show up any moment. She should have thought this out more. "I'm excited to hear what you are working on!" Usagi puts on the largest smile she can muster. "I'm sure you'll make it look easy."
Minako's eye twitches. "It is a lot harder than it looks." She explains as they enter the studio. Minako is greeted by the guard and he hands a pass to Usagi to wear in the building. As they walk down the hallway she turns her attention back to the Queen. "Sometimes I have to do the same section over and over until it sounds just right."
Usagi nods her head, taking in all the information as she looks at the long hallways. She half listens to Minako as her eyes survey her surroundings. She is anxious at the thought of seeing him. She nearly freezes in her steps, is she hoping to run into him?
Usagi stands in the production booth with the producer. He is giving Minako instructions regarding a section he wanted to potentially change in the song to make it fit better with the music. She watches Minako sing the same section ten times before she moves on to the next paragraph. This continues for the next hour. She had always known being an idol is hard work but she never realized how many times they would have to keep doing the same thing over and over again until it sounds perfect for the recording. She thinks back to a time when she heard the Three Lights made it look easy to be a popular idol group.
After an hour Minako in exhausted and needs to rest her voice for a bit since some of the parts she just recorded had trickery shifts into different octaves. It is her most challenging piece yet. Minako leads them to a break room around the corner full of snacks and drinks for artists when they have a little time to wind down before returning to recording. The blonde grabs a bottle of water and drinks half of it without stopping.
"Minako-chan…" Usagi is amazed at how fast Minako is guzzling down the water.
The door opens and they are joined by a woman a little older than them with short black hair. Usagi recognizes her immediately. "Utada Hikaru-san…" She says in awe. She jumps to her feet to approach her. "I really love your music!" She is about to say more and stops. The concert she went to in the other timeline was years ahead in the future. Her songs might be completely different than the ones she remembered.
Hikaru is surprised by the warm reception and a bit surprised to find Usagi in the break room. "Um... thank you! I'm glad you like my music. I've been working hard on releasing my first album."
"I'm sure it will be amazing!" Usagi encourages her.
"Thank you!" Hikaru bows her head slightly at the praise. "I'm hoping it will be ready soon, I've been trying to get every song perfect." She pauses for a moment. "I'll be releasing a new single in a few weeks."
"I'm sure everyone will love it!"
Hikaru smiles at Usagi's encouragement. "You are too kind." She grabs two water bottles. "Sorry, I have to go back to recording. It was nice to meet you!"
Minako raises an eyebrow at Usagi. "I didn't know you listened to her music. She's released a few songs so far. You make it sound like you're a huge fan."
"Her music is amazing… or rather, it will be," Usagi tries to explain.
"…will be?" Minako asks her slowly in utter confusion.
"We went to a concert of hers along with Rei-chan, in the other timeline." Usagi reveals.
Minako is surprised, "oh?" Usagi never told her this before. But looking back at everything, this detail wasn't as important as defeating Chaos. She isn't sure what to say. "How was… it?"
"She really is an amazing singer. She was a mega star," Usagi recalls thinking about the concert.
"That's really cool. I hope she can be really successful in this timeline too," Minako smiles. She remembered Usagi had told her about her idol career or rather lack of in the other timeline since she never opened for the Three Lights tour that really helped start her career. She takes a keep glance at the clock. "We should be going."
Minako leads her to the exit and out into the hallway. The blonde nearly knocks over a man walking by.
"Geez watch where you are going when you leave a room!" Yaten snaps at her. His eyes widen when realizes who he almost walked into. "Mina?"
Her eyebrow twitches. "Watch where I'm going, huh?"
Yaten teardrops. "Umm… well you know…" He stammers. "You could be hurt if you run into the wrong person." He quickly strings together.
Minako smirks at his quick recovery. "I didn't realize how late it was already."
Usagi tries to keep her expression neutral when she sees Seiya. She tries to look away but can't.
"Usagi-chan and I have been here for a while for my recording session and I'm beat!" Minako quickly adds noticing the looks between Seiya and Usagi.
"Odango?" Seiya calls her name hesitantly. He can't take his eyes of her either. He moves around Taiki to stand next to her. "I'm glad to see you."
Usagi can only manage to nod her head slightly. She was too focused on cheering Minako on and thinking about the concert from the other timeline. For a while she forgot she might run into him. "Hi…" she barely manages.
She finally turns away, unable to look at the pain in his eyes anymore. Part of it is pain she caused. Her hand shakes a little bit. It's not fair that she is in this situation. She shouldn't be in this situation. "I should get going, it's getting late." She takes a few steps back. "Minako-chan and I are spending the day together."
Minako looks at Usagi with a small flash of annoyance that she is being used as a way to avoid Seiya. "Yeah… "
Seiya frowns not wanting to cause a scene. At least she isn't yelling at him or asking if she has to give him an order to stay away. It's progress. "Have fun," he finally addresses both of the girls. He makes a bold move to walk past Usagi and whispers as he passes, "I miss you."
Usagi's eyes widen as he continues walking down the hallway without looking back. Tears threaten to fall. She misses him too but she's not ready to talk. When she is ready, they'll have to talk alone.
Minako positions herself next to Usagi. When she sees the tears about to fall from Usagi's eyes, she thinks about suggesting watching them record their new song. The one Seiya wrote about Usagi that she first heard on Kinmoku. She stops. Usagi will hear it eventually when she's ready, even if it's when the song is on the radio playing in her room.
The next couple days, Usagi keeps to herself and is withdrawn from everyone. She wasn't very talkative when the other girls came to see her. They finally convince her to come out to Makoto's for the dinner so the five of them can spend time together. But that is tomorrow evening. Today she has a training session with King Endymion and Sailor Earth.
She is looking forward to Makoto's wonderful cooking. Leaving her room would be good. She's barely left the house. Her mother keeps asking her if everything is okay. Getting out of the house for most of the day should cause her to stop asking for a little while.
She brushes her hair and slowly ties it up into pigtails to start pinning them into odango's for the first time in days. Her focus is now on the training session, hoping it is not just King Endymion today. They are meeting at the ruins of the Golden Kingdom to resume working on healing abilities and see where it goes from there.
Can she keep avoiding his questions? Letting out a deep sigh she wishes her life was less complicated. She chuckles for a moment. When is the last time her life wasn't complicated? Before Luna showed up with a prism compact that faithful day?
Her hair is done. She reaches for the crystal pendant on her dresser that hasn't moved since she came back from the studio with Minako. She hasn't gone to the cauldron in a little while. She should go back but she doesn't want to be disappointed again when she doesn't find Chibi Usa's starseed. She can only tell herself so many times it is going to be different, that this time her starseed will be there only to be met with disappointment again.
"You are unbelievable!" Minako yells at Yaten in one of the empty recording booths. She needed to give him a piece of her mind and pulled him to the side so her "discussion" with him would be muffled by the noise canceling insulation.
"I still stand by my comment. The song doesn't fit you at all," Yaten has his arms crossed against his chest, not budging.
"The manager liked it and I love what the lyricist wrote!"
"You are sure a defending a mystery person. I'm starting to wonder how well you really know this person."
Minako's mouth drops. "What are you implying?"
"Who is this person that knows you so well? This new song idea doesn't even fit you." His stance is firm.
"You know a lot the songs are in progress right? We test it out with music and see how well it fits and sometimes we make changes," Minako wags her finger.
"Really? We come up with the music first and then write lyrics usually," Yaten looks at her confused how they both have such different processes to making music.
"You thought that was the final version?" Minako bursts into laughter as she starts to realize how silly this argument was between them. Yaten can be so infuriating at times.
He is surprised by her reaction. Why is she laughing? "Crazy girl," he shakes his head at her.
Minako giggles. "Now that sounds like the name of an interesting song!"
Sailor Earth looks over at her brother in annoyance. "I don't think she's coming." She fumes. She has a lot she wants to say to Usagi too.
King Endymion isn't ready to give up yet. "It's still early. He checks the time on his pocket watch. "She's not that late yet."
Earth shrugs. She is not as hopeful as Endymion. "Maybe she changed her mind."
He doesn't want to believe her assessment. "She's often late but it's not like her to not show up." He pauses as he realizes she has been on time or even early for most of the training sessions. He refuses to leave yet.
Ten minutes later, Sailor Cosmos finally arrives. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time," she apologizes to both of them. Her eyes are immediately drawn to the tree from before. She gasps. "Is it blooming flowers?" She rushes over to the tree for closer examination. It has a few scattered flowers which is a huge improvement.
She turns around to congratulate King Endymion. "It looks great! You've been working really hard."
He plays down some of his efforts. "Some of that happened on its own."
"It's because you were able to revive the tree and bring it back to life," Sailor Cosmos doesn't want to minimize his accomplishments. "Healing and restoring are really difficult abilities."
Silence settles in between the three of them.
Sailor Earth is watching Sailor Cosmos carefully. If she didn't bring it up, neither one of them are going to. "So what happened?"
The slight smile Sailor Cosmos had on her face from King Endymion's progress quickly vanishes. "It's between myself and Sailor Pluto." She focuses on Sailor Earth. "I thought we are here to train."
"I want to make sure I'm not going to be suddenly attacked out of the blue," Sailor Earth retorts.
"Sailor Pluto still doesn't know why you attacked her. This doesn't make sense Usako," King Endymion tries to explain gently.
Sailor Cosmos lets out a deep breath. "I'm done talking about what happened on Kinmoku and what lead to me coming back suddenly." Her rings flash for a brief moment as if to emphasize her point. The action changes her focus. She hasn't been Cosmos as often lately but her rings haven't been reacting to anger as they had when she was pregnant or right after she miscarried. Karin was right; her powers must be stabilizing.
Endymion knows better than to push her at the moment. He is afraid if he tries too hard she will leave. He vows he will solve this mystery one day but it will not be today. "We should probably start training then. We don't have a lot of time." Not completely true, their first class was canceled today but he needs to get the session started. He's not ready for Sailor Cosmos to leave yet.
"Why don't we work on attacks today?" Sailor Earth suggests. "We can try healing or defense next time?" She doesn't say it out loud but she wants to be prepared in case Sailor Cosmos starts attacking her senshi again.
"I never used the Golden Crystal to try to attack before," King Endymion comments looking down at the crystal on top of his staff.
The training session begins. Eventually he starts to make process. The attacks are gradually growing in strength.
Sailor Cosmos had to use her barrier to protect herself and one point she was pushed back slightly during a surge of power from the Golden Crystal. She didn't realize the crystal had that kind of power. But then again she doesn't know a lot about his Golden Crystal. She is more familiar with the crystal she used with Sailor Chibi Moon from Elysion.
When the session ends she walks over to King Endymion. "Your powers are growing. It's great!" She encourages him.
"It's not enough yet. I feel like I don't have full control over the crystal and I can only use part of its power." Helios' words echo in his mind. He can't unlock the full power of the crystal until he can achieve inner peace.
He snaps out of it as he realizes Sailor Cosmos is getting ready to leave. "I have something for you Usako."
Sailor Cosmos looks at him confused.
The King walks over to the tree with budding flowers to retrieve a bag from behind it. He is thankful Cosmos didn't walk around the entire tree to inspect it. He delicately picks up the bag and hands it to her. "Happy Birthday."
Sailor Cosmos blinks a few times when she recognizes the name on the side of the bag. "Hudson Market Bakers?" Her eyes widen, it's her favorite bakery. "Mamo-chan?"
"I know you've been through a lot these past couple of weeks and I was hoping the small cake would cheer you up since we won't have another training session until after your birthday."
Sailor Cosmos smiles, "Thank you." She carefully holds the bag to her chest for a moment and then reaches forward to hug him in appreciation.
The hug is a lot briefer than King Endymion would have liked. "I want you to know I'm always here for you and whatever you need."
Sailor Cosmos can only nod her head. "Thank you…I'll be alright." She tries to assure him.
"I'll see you in a few days," King Endymion turns to leave. "I'm sorry but I have to be returning for class."
"I understand," Sailor Cosmos responds without hesitation. "I wouldn't want to be in the way of your studies."
Her words sting him a little. Had he never left for Harvard the first time, Usako never would have grown that close to Seiya would she? He pushes the nagging thought to the side. He never dreamed something like that would happen. He was given a once in a lifetime opportunity. Dwelling on past decisions will not help him. Letting go of her was not easy. He still doesn't want to let her go.
Sailor Cosmos returns to her room and it doesn't take her long until she dives in the strawberry shortcake after de-transforming. Ten minutes later, the four inch cake is gone. She probably should have saved some for later but it was too yummy.
Usagi feels a little better. She is going to see her friends the next two nights, at Makoto's tomorrow and then out for karaoke the day after for her birthday. She leans back against her bed and her eyes immediately gravitate to the Three Lights poster. She sighs for a moment as she gets up.
She walks over to the dresser opening the drawer to pull out the picture of her and Seiya she packed away when she first returned home. Her fingers trace their faces. They look so happy in the picture. She stares at his face. "What am I going to do?"
Despite how angry she feels over what happened, she misses him terribly. She is recognizing this more and more each day. Her heart tells her to run to him but her mind won't let her. She hates this feeling. A few drops of water fall on the picture frame. Moments later, she's crying.
The following evening, Usagi is standing outside of Makoto's apartment building were the girls are getting together. She is an hour early. She couldn't stay home anymore. Her mom is prying more wanting to know what's wrong and why she hasn't seen or spoken to Seiya in a while other than one phone call. She can't explain to her mother what happened. It was too complicated and no child really wants to talk to their parent about their very adult relationship. She cheeks redden at the thought.
She hopes she can help Makoto or do something for a little while. She just needed to get out of her house. She knocks on the door and waits. She frowns. What if Makoto is out getting last minute items for tonight? Finally the door opens.
"Usagi…chan?" Makoto looks at her stunned.
"I know I'm early but I couldn't stay in my house any longer," Usagi begins to explain. She pauses when she recognizes the shoes of her friends.
"Hurry up Mako-chan, their interview is about to start!" Minako yells at her from the other room with the television.
Makoto teardrops. "The Three Lights are doing an interview and performance… and well…"
Usagi can't avoid it forever. "It's okay… I'll join you guys," Usagi responds slowly trying to be brave while taking off her shoes. "It's just a television program."
Makoto leads her to the living room. The three girls are shocked to see Usagi.
"Usagi?" Rei gasps, standing up.
"It's okay. Go ahead and enjoy the show," Usagi takes a seat at the other side of the table, sitting a little further back than the other girls. She remembers how they all used to crowd around the television when the Three Lights were gaining popularity during their first year in high school.
Minako leans in placing her hands under her chin watching Yaten intently because seeing him almost every day wasn't enough.
Usagi inhales sharply when she sees the three of them on the television. She listens as they are interviewed about the tour and their work since they came back. She is trying to pay attention to what they are saying but all she can notice is the change in Seiya. He is smiling for the camera but his eyes give it away. He's struggling.
Minako giggles at something Yaten said before the program goes to a commercial break.
Ami recognizes how long it's been since she spoke to them. She took it for granted being in school together and seeing them all the time. But now they are so busy. And with her own schooling, it's rare they cross paths at the moment.
Rei turns to Usagi, worried about how she would react. "I'm sorry we didn't let you know ahead of time. We weren't sure if you'd want to see the show."
"I understand," Usagi explains. "Given everything that happened everyone was worried about me and I appreciate the concern." She tries to give her best reassuring smile.
The commercial break ends and the Three Lights have shifted to the stage.
"This is the new song they were working on Kinmoku! It sounded amazing the parts I heard!" Minako rocks back and forth in her seat in anticipation.
The music starts and Seiya sings the first two lines.
Even if I'm wearing the sweet fragrance of love
Is there no way for me to satisfy your heart? oh you... oh you..
Usagi's fingers tighten around the fabric of her skirt. This is what they worked on Kinmoku? This is the song that was in the notebook he wrote when he returned to Kinmoku? Listening to it now, it reflects everything that has happened between them lately.
Yaten sings the next part.
With just a gentle touch of your hand
I can tell by that starlight it's you... it's you...
Minako beams thinking about how much she enjoys holding his hand.
We fatefully met across an endless galaxy
I'll never let go of your trembling heart
Rei ponders who Taiki is referring to the song, or is it just part of the lyrics that Seiya wrote? She looks over at Ami for a moment.
The three sing the chorus together and then rotate who sings a few of the lines at the end.
Longing so deeply for this love
Don't drown in it, don't drown
No matter where I'm singing from, this song will
Make you turn your head, make you turn your head
Don't look at me like that
Don't raise your voice
I'll snatch those lips away Don't look at me like that
Don't raise your voice
I'll snatch away your everything
Usagi can feel her eyes tear up as she continues to listen to this song. She has known how he felt when they were apart and he thought he would never see her again. But the sadness in his voice when he sings is painful. The song continues and he sings the next two lines.
Even if your heart is swallowed up by darkness
I'll protect you no matter what oh you... oh you...
Usagi shuts her eyes tightly. She can't watch the performance anymore but she still wants to hear the rest of the song.
Yaten continues singing.
I always wear a poker face
You're the only one that I want to show my true face to only you... only you...
It reminds Usagi of her date with Seiya in Peru where he told her she was one of the few people on Earth to know the real him. Her eyes close tighter as she tries to fight back the tears. She wasn't expecting such an emotional reaction from this song. She tries to focus on the rest of the song.
With the power of the endlessly falling stars
I will be able to find the path of light
Even if the light of hope is disappearing,
I'll illuminate it, I'll illuminate it
At the edge of your line of sight,
There we are, there we are
Don't look at me like that
Don't raise your voice
I'll snatch those lips away
Don't look at me like that
Don't raise your voice
I'll snatch away your everything
Longing so deeply for this love
Don't drown in it, don't drown
No matter where I'm singing from, this song will
Make you turn your head, make you turn your head
Don't look at me like that
Don't raise your voice
I'll snatch those lips away
Don't look at me like that
Don't raise your voice
I'll snatch away your everything*
As soon as it ends, Usagi is on her feet and running to the bathroom closing the door behind her. Her hands grip the counter. The tears won't stop. Despite everything that happened, he still has this effect over her. She is reaching her breaking point. Things can't go on like this for much longer.
Minako frowns when she witnesses how Usagi reacted to the song; it was not what she was hoping. "I'm really worried about the Starlights." She finally admits her fears to her friends. "If Usagi-chan and Seiya-kun don't work this out… what if they have to go back to Kinmoku?" Her lip trembles. "I won't be able to see Yaten…"
"You don't know if that will really happen," Rei tries to reassure Minako. "They could still work this out."
Ami looks doubtful. "I don't know… this seems different."
"You didn't see how the two of them were on the tour," Rei counters back. "They were inseparable." She thinks about the week Usagi stayed with Seiya because they were short a hotel room.
Minako frowns, "Until they had the first fight."
Rei disagrees. "They worked it out pretty quickly and it didn't last long." She pauses. This fight they just had is completely different.
"I hope you're right." Minako sighs as she adjusts her hair bow. She doesn't want to have to say goodbye to Yaten.
Usagi is getting ready for her birthday to go out with her friends for karaoke. She's now eighteen years old. Not quite an adult yet in Japan since she hasn't reached the age of twenty. She is looking in the mirror as she brushes her hair. She should be excited and happy.
Instead she's thinking of Seiya. She hasn't seen or heard from him since she ran into him at the studio. She sighs. She had asked him to leave her alone but a part of her hoped he would have tried to talk to her for her birthday. But he is doing exactly what she had asked him to do. She shakes her head. She can't blame him.
Her mother knocks on the door. "Usagi, the girls are here for your birthday."
Usagi walks over to the door. "I'll be down in a few minutes. I'm almost ready."
Ikuko looks at her daughter skeptically. "Is everything okay Usagi?"
"Yeah…" Usagi responds slowly still not wanting to talk about it with her mother.
"You know I haven't seen Seiya-kun here in a while… and he's only called once..." Ikuko stops when she sees the look on her daughter's face. Her expression softens when her suspicions are confirmed. The two of them are having problems. "I'm sure whatever it is the two of you can work it out." She smiles at her daughter.
Usagi can only manage to nod her head. "I just need a minute to finish my hair."
Ikuko nods her head and comes back downstairs. "Usagi will be down in a few more minutes." She tries to be direct with Usagi's friends; she's not used to her daughter not telling her everything. "Usagi has been really down lately, I was hoping she would have snapped out if by now."
"I'm sure she'll feel better soon," Minako tries to remain optimistic.
Naru doesn't say anything. Why is Usagi down? They haven't talked in a few weeks. She looks at the other girls, each mirroring a worried expression. What is wrong with Usagi? Before she can think it over any more, Usagi is heading down the staircase.
Seiya looks at his watch again. The girls were supposed to leave Odango's house thirty minutes ago and it will take him at least twenty minutes to get to her house. They should be gone by the time he arrives. He thought it over the past couple of days. He would love to give Usagi her present in person. But he really wanted her to receive the gift for her birthday. He finally decided on dropping the bracelet off after she left with the girls for their night out.
He didn't want to risk upsetting her before she went out but he also wanted her to know he is thinking about her and missing her. He waits at the door.
"Seiya-kun!" Ikuko eagerly greets him. "You just missed Usagi! She left with the girls a little while ago for karaoke. If you hurry you might able to catch them!"
He tries to look disappointed he missed her but everything is working out how he wanted it to. "I'll have to catch her another time. I know how much she was looking forward to going out with them. It wouldn't be fair if I joined them."
Ikuko laughs. "I did catch your new song on the radio."
"Thank you," he responds politely. He needs to start wrapping this up. "I wanted to drop off a gift for her. Is it alright if you I leave it with you?"
Ikuko is about to accept it when she sees the bag, sparking an idea. "Why don't you leave it upstairs in Usagi's room? You should write her a letter too! I know she would love it!" She ushers him inside the home.
Seiya teardrops at how quickly things changed. He realizes too late Usagi picked this trait up from her mother. He scrambles to try to find a way out of this.
But Ikuko is persistent. "You have plenty of time! Usagi will be gone for hours so you can take your time. Just grab some paper off her desk."
Seiya is hesitant at this idea. Would Usagi be mad if she knew he was in her room?
Ikuko doesn't know what happened between them but she is going to play matchmaker to get them back together. "Usagi has been really down lately and I'm sure a sweet letter from you will perk her right up!" She ushers him upstairs making his escape impossible.
Seiya is already halfway up the stairs by the time Ikuko stops pushing him. He looks at the bag in his hands. Maybe writing her a letter along with the gift is a good idea. He reaches the top of the stairs and glances to the bottom of the stairs to find Ikuko waving at him.
"Take your time!" Ikuko grins and finally walks away.
He could bolt for the door but decides against. He walks the short distance down the hallway and into Usagi's empty room. He turns on the light and sighs. Her room looks a lot different than the last time he saw it when she returned from the tour. He feels sad when he sees their picture is no longer on her dresser. As he glances around the room he notices the sole Three Lights poster on the wall. He barely manages a smile. He takes it as a good sign that something is still up. His eyes are drawn to the Discman on her bed. Curiosity gets the best of him. He opens the lid, not expecting to find a Three Lights CD in it. He puts the player back on the bed and takes a deep breath.
He is here to drop off Usagi's present and write her a letter. That's it. He walks over to Usagi's desk and pulls out the chair. There are paper and pens as Ikuko described. He grabs a sheet of paper and places it in front of him. He stares at it for the next five minutes.
"This is harder than writing lyrics for a song," Seiya taps the pen on the desk. This shouldn't be so challenging for him. There is so much to say and apologize for but… what if her mom reads the letter? What if someone else reads it? He frowns. He could never explain it and wouldn't want to put Odango in a position like that to try to explain it.
A smile spreads across his lips. He puts the pen on the paper writing the first sentence. He pauses before he resumes writing. The words flow out. He doesn't stop until he reaches the bottom of the page and signs his name. He attaches the letter to the decorative ribbon used to keep the bag closed. She won't miss it.
He gets up stretching his arms slightly over his head as he looks around her room one more. He hopes this is not the last time he will be here.
Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and Naru took turns singing for the last thirty minutes. They are taking a break as food arrives for them in their private room.
Minako flips through the selections and is bummed none of her songs have made it into the collection yet. "None of my songs are here."
Rei's eyebrow twitches at Minako. "None of your songs have been released yet. You're still working on your album. Songs don't make to the karaoke scene until there is a CD release."
Minako looks over at Rei and teardrops. "Yeah… but I've record so many!"
Ami takes over scrolling and quickly moves past the options for the Three Lights songs.
Naru is little surprised. She assumes they would sing at least one of their songs. She frowns, something is definitely going on. She sees a song they have sung in the past in previous years. "How about this one?" She points to the screen.
"Sure!" Minako quickly agrees. She clicks on the selection loading it and the words appear on the television prompt screen. The six of them begin singing.
I want to say I'm sorry, my darling,
But I can only say it when I'm dreaming.
Even so, from the way my thoughts are fleeting,
I know that I want to be with you
And as my tears fall down in the moonlight,
If I could get to your side by midnight,
I know that everything would be all right…
My heart's a blur. What can I do?
And following the moonlight shinning in your eyes
Two lives collide in one endless dance
The twinkling of the stars so high above us
Will lead us straight to the ones who love us
Because we two were destined for each other
It's like a miracle romance
In this I do believe
It's like a miracle romance!*
The song isn't over just yet but Usagi can't take it anymore. The words of this song hit her and she runs out of the room. Everything she hears remind her of him. Why did it have to mention twinkling stars? As she runs down the hallway she catches parts of the music from songs selected by other rooms. She recognizes the bass of the song from anywhere. It's Nagareboshi He.
Her breathing is becoming short. She feels completely overwhelmed. Everything from the past week has been building up and she kept trying to push it to the side to not think or worry about it. But it's catching up to her.
She moves further down the hallway to get away from all the music. But now she is left alone with her thoughts. She is less angry as the days progressed but the anger is being replaced by depression from everything that happened.
She wipes tears from her eyes. She wanted him to call her today and wish her a happy birthday but he didn't. Her shoulders shake. It's her fault. She wanted him to stay away from her. She practically ordered him to do so when she was angry.
She bumps into a girl. "I'm sorry," Usagi immediately apologizes not realizing where she is going.
The girl has short fuchsia hair. She stares at Usagi for a moment. "Hey, I recognize you! You're Seiya-san's girlfriend aren't you?"
Usagi looks away. She can't really call herself that anymore, can she? "I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She bows slightly and turns to leave. She wasn't sure it the girl was one of the crazy fans. If she was, there is no way she could handle it right now.
The girl stares at Usagi as she leaves, disappointed. She just wanted to talk for a minute.
Usagi opens the door taking her outside. She breathes in the muggy air, still very hot and humid at this time of the year. The noise of the city gives her the break she needs from the songs.
A few minutes later she is join by someone else. "Usagi, what's going on?"
Usagi wipes a few tears away when she hears Naru's voice. She tries to hide how upset she is. "I'm fine…"
Naru shakes her head. "No you're not Usagi. Something is going on. You used to love singing that song with everyone each year. Is it because it reminds you Mamoru-san?"
Usagi shakes her head no.
"So…this is about Seiya-kun?"
Usagi looks away. "We had a huge fight recently," she finally admits.
Naru nods her head. Now it makes sense how Seiya was acting when he showed up to pick up the bracelet. "What happened?"
Usagi bites her lip a little. How can she explain to Naru what happened? She thinks of the best way to try to describe it simply. She hates the idea of how she is going to describe Shiori but it the simplest and fastest way. "His…ex… caused some problems."
Naru blinks a few times. "So? Aren't you the one that is with him now?" After receiving a confused glance from Usagi she continues. "She's an ex for a reason, right? It's clear how he feels about you. Everyone can see that."
Usagi can feel a few tears forming in her eyes. "It's just…" She stops. She doesn't want to describe what happened.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Naru asks, as she lightly places her hand on Usagi's arm.
"I'm sorry… it's complicated… and..."
"It ties in with being a senshi, I'm sure."
Usagi nods her head again.
"It's fine. Today is your birthday. You can do whatever you want and we can talk about it in a few days," Naru tries to reassure her. She has learned over the years there are still a lot of things that Usagi can't talk to her about, things that she would never fully understand. She isn't quite sure how Seiya fits into that world but Usagi will tell her when she is ready. "All I know is this, if you miss him, you should tell him."
Usagi smiles a little. "I…was thinking of calling him tomorrow."
"Great! Why don't we head back inside and enjoy the rest of your birthday?"
Luna enters Usagi's room after returning from an evening walk. She's not sure what to do about Usagi. She pauses in her steps when she sees a royal blue bag with a sheet of paper attached. She is sure it wasn't there when Usagi left. She jumps up on the desk to take a closer look. She starts reading the note out loud. "Dearest Odango…"
She stops. "It's from Seiya-kun…" She looks away. She shouldn't continue reading but she's been so worried about Usagi. Her head darts back to read the next line. "I hope you don't mind but I wrote the rest in Kinmokian since you know how nosy Luna can be."
Teardrops appear around her head. "I'm not nosy!" She shouts at the letter. She can't help it. She looks at it one more time and confirms she can't read the rest of the letter. She grumbles. "I have to look after Usagi-chan and that is a full time job." She jumps off the desk and decides to sleep upstairs in Chibi Usa's old room to give Usagi privacy to read the note when she returns home.
"Lullaby" by Nickelback. This song really helped me a lot when I was thinking about how to write Usagi after learning she lost Chibi Usa and the grief she experienced so I want to put part of it into the story.
"Infinity" by Jaymes Young. Sandra/Monimezu introduced me to this song and I really wanted to work it into the story. I thought of this as a possible song Seiya would write but I found one other one that seemed to fit a little better. We're not going to talk about how much I listed to this song while writing this year.
Translation for "Star Line" by thelastblackmoon.
Version of Moonlight Densetsu used was the version found in Mark Sprague's Sailor Moon S Fandub in the late 1990s. Opening theme is still up on YouTube! Link is also in my Tumblr.
Lots of music used in this act, the others won't have quite so much.
1990s Japan, a person was an adult when they become 20. The law has since changed in the last few years so it is now 18 but I'm trying to keep up with how things were back then.
Stay tuned to see what is in Seiya's letter in the next act! Next act will be posted on 1/04/25, Act 80: She Never Told You.
The typos:
"You can stand in bed all day!"
Her herself, away from everything she has time to think. - I really had to think about this one with where I was going.