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Usagi ignored the gentle laughter from downstairs. Whoever it was - Shingo, Mom, Chibi Chibi, even Luna - she couldn’t muster the strength to let them in. Opening the door meant so much more than just twisting the handle and pulling. It meant plastering on another fake smile – or pretending to be hungry when her stomach truly felt like a wet paper bag. No, it was better to let whoever it was think that this – staying holed up in her room without joining in on the fun – was just another of her undesirable traits.
Sitting on the floor beside her bed, Usagi absentmindedly dragged her fingers through her hair. Rei’s words resonated in her mind like footsteps down a lightless corridor. Usagi needed to talk to Seiya. She had to tell him the truth. A string of fate tied her and Mamoru together through the many iterations of time and space. The future - the mere existence of Chibiusa, whom Usagi loved more than words could describe - all depended on their love conquering all obstacles. And so far, it had. When Mamo-chan left for America, Usagi hadn’t ever thought for a single second that she’d ever doubt him, no matter what stood between them.
Usagi couldn’t help but chuckle humorlessly and shake her head. The problem was, she had doubted. Before Mamo even boarded his plane, even as he slipped a ring on her hand, Usagi felt her heart was torn. Because there were questions she wanted to ask him - questions she couldn’t figure out, no matter how many nights she puzzled over them.
If Mamo was to be King Endymion of Crystal Tokyo, why would he leave for America? Why not focus on his studies here at home?
Why had her and Mamo’s conversations always centered around some trait of Usagi’s that was less than desirable? Sure, there were several - cooking, studying, sophistication - but Usagi was good at other things. Why did Mamo always look at her with patience and forgiveness instead of pride and excitement?
And why hadn’t Mamoru sent her any letters?
Usagi pulled her knees to her chest and clenched her eyes shut. She knew her responsibilities. Her duty was to Earth, the planet she loved, and the friends she held so dearly. She would do anything to protect them. Even if it meant giving her life. So why now, in the face of Galaxia’s impending wrath, did she still have so many doubts?
In the past couple of months, only one person helped her keep her head on straight. Only one person saw through her excuses, her justifications, and the lies she told everyone, including herself.
The voice in her mind yearned for him, called out to him as desperately as she’d called out to Mamo: Seiya.
Usagi would be the first to admit that she’d been a bit of an airhead when it came to understanding Seiya’s feelings. Ever since she’d met him, Usagi thought Seiya was just teasing her. What else would a teen idol want with her, regular old Usagi, who couldn’t even make dinner without causing a small fire? Finding out that Seiya was actually Sailor Star Fighter - and Taiki and Yaten were the other Star Lights - made the pieces connect much more easily. It seemed Sailor Guardians were always drawn to each other, as if by an invisible force guiding them into harmony. But even though Usagi hadn’t fully realized the extent of Seiya's feelings for her until today on the roof…
…that didn’t mean she hadn’t been wrestling with feelings of her own. At the club, when Seiya had pulled her close and held her, Usagi felt it. Outside of Rei’s uncle’s pottery studio when Seiya had crashed into her, Usagi felt it. When Seiya decided to stay over and protect her from intruders…when Seiya pushed her to try her best at softball so they could “continue dating…” in the Ferris wheel as Seiya sang the message intended for his Princess directly to Usagi…
…when Seiya took a full body blast of energy from Sailor Tin Nyanko to save her life.
It was hard for Usagi to process and understand these feelings with everything else on her mind. But with Seiya’s confession hanging unresolved in the space between them and time unforgivingly marching on towards the conclusion of their time together, Usagi knew she had to make a choice. A choice that would affect the future of not only the people she loved, but of the entire planet.
Of the entire galaxy.
--
Seiya paced back and forth in the common area of the Three Lights’ apartment. He’d won the rock-paper-scissors contest between him, Taiki, and Yaten for who would get to give up their room for Princess Kakyuu. Having her use his space and the comforts he’d enjoyed these past few months was an honor any Sailor Guardian would understand. Even now, his body was attuned to the Princess’s needs, and he could sense that she’d drifted off to an easy sleep.
The same could hardly be said for Taiki and Yaten. Seiya hadn’t told either of them what happened on the roof of the school yet, but they knew something was up. The Princess had to give Yaten a soft scolding earlier when he peppered Seiya with questions and accusations. Taiki just watched Seiya with that knowing glance of his, one that had haunted Seiya ever since they were on their home planet. Seiya had brushed it all off – something came up at the school and he’d had to quickly transform, defeat a peon of Galaxia.
It was better to tell a half truth than a full lie.
Now, Seiya could sense that Yaten was likely having a nightmare - not unusual, they’d all be suffering from bad dreams for years to come - and Taiki was struggling against his exhaustion. It wouldn’t be long before everyone would finally be asleep. Everyone except Seiya, of course, who wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to sleep again.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop replaying the day in his head. He’d tossed the rose from his suit pocket at Sailor Tin Nyanko to defend Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon had collapsed to her knees in devastation. Sailor Moon…Odango…she’d broken down and sobbed there in front of Seiya, confessing how much of a toll her boyfriend’s absence had taken on her. Seiya’s hand curled into a fist reflexively, and he forced himself to take a deep breath and relax. If Seiya ever did get the chance to speak with this boyfriend of Odango’s, he’d like to plant a fist right through his nose.
How dare he leave someone like her behind.
Seiya instead turned his attention to more important matters, and his pacing quickened to match the fluttering of his heart. Seeing Usagi like that, he’d not been able to hold back. All the sleepless nights he’d suffered, tossing back and forth with only her face greeting him every time he closed his eyes. All the times he’d replayed their conversations back in his head, wishing he’d said more, cursing himself for saying too much. All the memories with her that became so precious. His time as Seiya was going to end soon, whether that was back home or on the battlefield against Galaxia. There was no time to hold back anymore.
“You’ve still got me,” Seiya had said gently. “Am I not good enough?”
Before Usagi had the chance to respond, her friends - the Sailor Guardians of this galaxy - came and helped her to her feet. They rushed her inside, forming a protective circle around her as she disappeared from sight. Seiya was left alone on the roof, the weight of his question threatening to bury him.
Finally, Seiya stopped pacing. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and sighed.
“What was I thinking?” he muttered under his breath.
It wasn’t fair to Usagi to ask her a question like that. Not when she was so distraught over someone else, someone she loved. And it wasn’t like Usagi could repair all the damage inside Seiya - even if she did by some miracle say yes, that he was good enough. Seiya wouldn’t be able to accept that answer until he was once again on his home planet, back in his real body, making real efforts to repair the damage his weakness had caused.
No wonder Odango hadn’t said anything when he asked her that question. Seiya knew her heart. Usagi was too kind to ever tell him the truth: right now, he wasn’t good enough.
Seiya eyed the couch with disappointment. There was no use staying awake any longer. Tomorrow, he’d have to regroup with Taiki and Yaten. They’d need to make final arrangements to conceal their identities as they left this planet behind. The protection of Princess Kakyuu and the restoration of their own planet was the only priority right now.
Sighing heavily, Seiya sank down onto the couch, and readied himself to lie down on his side.
But as he did, the phone rang.
--
“Hello?”
The sound of his voice alone did wonders to soothe Usagi’s nerves. She closed her eyes and smiled.
“Seiya,” she said.
“Odango?”
“Could you…do you think you could come by?”
The words she’d rehearsed - Could you please come by my house? I need to tell you something in person - were lost. Her resolve was a block of ice, and Seiya’s voice whispering Odango was a stream of boiling water.
“I just need you,” Usagi whispered.
“I’m on my way,” Seiya said quickly.
Before either of them could take the words back, or change their minds, or see reason, they both hung up. Usagi sat on her bed and looked out of her window to wait for him, and Seiya hardly pulled his jacket on before dashing out of the door, with his fellow guardians and his Princess sleeping soundly in their own rooms behind him.
--
Eternity passed before Usagi finally saw Seiya’s figure down below. He walked proudly in the middle of the sidewalk despite the late hour, his head held high and his smile composed as ever. A new rose had found its way into his suit pocket, but Usagi found she couldn’t look at it for too long. Her attention instead was drawn to that mischievous glint in Seiya’s eye as he looked up and offered her a wave.
Usagi blinked and suddenly realized she had no idea how he was going to get up to her room without alerting her parents, her brother, her cat, or the tiny toddler who’d taken up residence in the Tsukino household.
But as Usagi held up her hands to tell Seiya to hold on , her mouth dropped open as he transformed in the middle of the street , becoming Fighter with absolutely no reservations about who could see him. As Fighter, she made some impressive jumps and maneuvers off the surrounding gate, trees, and buildings until she was poised perfectly outside Usagi’s window.
All the while, Usagi was in tears because she could not figure out why her window latch seemed to be jammed.
--
“You gave me a workout,” Seiya said.
“I’m sorry,” Usagi mumbled, her cheeks warm with embarrassment.
“You could’ve mentioned on the phone that you wanted to see me in action,” Seiya joked. “I could’ve brought some fireworks or something and really given you a show.”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” Usagi grumbled.
Seiya now sat across from Usagi at her table, his legs folded over one of her pillows. He’d tossed his jacket into a corner of her room, and underneath he wore a black t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. It reminded her of the time he announced he’d be sleeping over at her house to protect her from an intruderwhile her parents were gone. Usagi remembered when he’d leaned close to her to tell her a secret - a secret she now realized was his true identity as Sailor Star Fighter.
But back then, the scent of his cologne, the silky texture of his ponytail, and the charge in the air between them had been so intoxicating that the fate of the galaxy had been the farthest thing from her mind. Now, Seiya’s transformation compact sat in the middle of the table next to Usagi’s own brooch. No secrets between them.
Not even one.
“Seiya,” Usagi said, “are you a boy or a girl?”
Seiya closed his eyes and chuckled. “Why, do you have a preference, Odango?”
Before Usagi had the chance to retort, Seiya continued. “No, it’s a good question. Truthfully, I’ve spent the majority of my life on my home planet as Sailor Star Fighter. So I’m most used to being a woman. But that doesn’t mean my life as Seiya is a lie, or a disguise. I’m as much Seiya as I am Fighter, the same way you’re Usagi and Sailor Moon all at once.”
“That sounds like it’s confusing,” Usagi said quietly.
“It really isn’t,” Seiya said. “Not to me, at least. But…is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
“No,” Usagi said. “I guess I just was wondering. What you said earlier, on the roof…”
Usagi noticed the subtle blush coloring Seiya’s cheeks, and her heart softened. “I was wondering if that was just something you meant as Seiya - the Seiya who lives on Earth, as an idol who goes to school, and plays video games, and likes spending his days off at the park. I mean, that has to be it, right? Because when you’re Fighter, you have Healer, and Maker, and your own Princess you have to protect. As Fighter, you couldn’t have room for anything else in your life, could you?”
The room was quiet.
“Sometimes,” Usagi continued, “I feel like my life as Sailor Moon is a completely different life than I have as Usagi. A long time ago, I didn’t even want to be Sailor Moon. I wanted to be late to school, eat pork buns, and hang out with my friends. And for a while, it was a good life. But there’s always some kind of threat that keeps pulling me away. It keeps putting the people I love in danger. So, what I want as Usagi, always comes second to what I must do as Sailor Moon.” Usagi didn’t realize that she’d started crying until a tear dripped from her chin onto the table below. “Do you know what that’s like?”
“I meant what I said, Usagi,” Seiya said, his voice low. “But even if I did, I shouldn’t have put that kind of pressure on you. It wasn’t the right time or place. Though it seems like for us, there’s never a good time or a good place.”
“Seiya…” Usagi trailed off.
Seiya shook his head. He reached up, his fingers trailing across Usagi’s cheek. The touch shocked her, drying her tears, warming her from head to toe.
“Every time you say my name, I go crazy,” he said. “Don’t cry, Odango. You’re not the only one fed up with duty, and fate, and destiny.”
Seiya’s hand hesitated there, his fingers like fire on Usagi’s skin. Before she lost her nerve, she reached up and wrapped her hand around his. The feeling of it all - his palm, knuckles, fingers, wrist - would be a permanent brand on her memory. Usagi’s heart sank in the most wonderful way.
She knew now, just from holding Seiya’s hand, that nothing else with anyone else would ever compare to this feeling. Not in this life or any future life she might lead.
Seiya’s eyes widened at her touch. They stayed like that - large and full of wonder - as Usagi lowered their hands together, placing them in her lap, twining her fingers through his.
“I can’t make you any promises,” Usagi said quietly. “Even if I really, really want to. I have my home and my friends that I have to protect, just like you do.
“But Seiya,” Usagi said, leaning in, holding Seiya’s wide gaze with all the intensity of worlds clashing, “don’t ever think for a second that you’re not good enough.”
“Usagi,” Seiya whispered.
“You’re better than good enough,” Usagi continued. “You’re perfect. You’re a real pain, and sometimes you drive me crazy, but that’s just what makes you who you are. If you were any different at all, you wouldn’t be Seiya. You wouldn’t be Fighter. And I just wish…”
“Usagi, please,” Seiya begged. He unfolded his legs and moved around the side of the table, pulling Usagi towards him. She didn’t object as he folded his arms around her, holding her against him. “You don’t have to say any more.”
“I just wish,” Usagi continued, hiccuping through her tears, “I just wish that it could be you instead. I want it to be you. I want you.”
Even as Usagi cried into Seiya’s shoulder, she felt an immense relief as a heavy weight disappeared from her shoulders. Seiya’s body felt so different against hers than anyone else’s ever had. His chest was solid and warm, his arms holding her just the way she wanted, his chin perfectly nestled against her neck. Whatever came next for them, they’d kept their promise to each other. No secrets. From now on, no matter what, they would always know the truth.
“You’ve got me,” Seiya whispered. “Whatever you want, Odango. No matter what happens, you’ll always have me.”
Seiya’s words soothed Usagi’s heart, and her tears quieted down. They stayed perfectly still, both knowing that once this spell was broken, there would be a million obligations pulling them apart from each other. Kingdoms, planets, enemies, friends. It was possible they’d never hold each other this way ever again. But here, in Usagi’s bedroom, with the lights off and the world asleep around them, time stood still long enough for the Moon Princess and the guardian of another galaxy to hold each other and whisper promises, promises that would never be broken, no matter the planet nor the galaxy nor the lifetime.
“So,” Seiya said, his voice rumbling in Usagi’s chest, “does this mean you accept my confession?”
Usagi couldn’t help but laugh. “Dummy,” she whispered into Seiya’s neck. Her lips brushed his skin as the word escaped her mouth.
The feeling of his skin made Usagi’s heart pound in her throat. She hadn’t meant to kiss him, but the accident was another irrevocable boundary she’d crossed, one she’d never be able to go back and ignore or forget. She found her mind and body urging her to do it again, to press another kiss to Seiya’s neck. She couldn’t - she had the feeling starting would make stopping impossible. But the kiss wasn’t lost on Seiya, either - Usagi felt him tighten underneath her, his breath stopping, held captive inside him.
“S-sorry,” Usagi whispered, and pulled away.
“Don’t ever apologize for that,” Seiya said, his voice uneven.
But now, with Usagi’s face only inches away from Seiya’s, she found this position even more dangerous than with her head cradled against him. His lips so close now, his eyes pure liquid, the desire between them a lead ball, their restraint a fraying strand of yarn. Could she kiss him here, and have the strength to face tomorrow afterwards?
Usagi breathed in sharply as a realization took hold of her, and she gripped Seiya’s hand with ferocity and resolve.
A tomorrow without Seiya was a tomorrow not worth waking up to.
Seiya’s free hand instinctively reached out and curled around Usagi’s hair as they abolished the distance between them and finally - finally - met in a needy, world-shattering kiss. There was no more fear, no more hesitation, no more wondering or concern or worry. The push and pull was finally over. Now there was only Seiya - Seiya’s lips, his hands, his face, his hair. Usagi lost herself in the warmth, comfort, familiarity, and pleasure of his embrace, of his lips molding perfectly against her own. She released his hand and her arms trailed behind Seiya to clasp at the base of his ponytail, tightening around him, securing Seiya to her, her arms an anchor to keep her starlight from ever disappearing into the sky.
Seiya kissed her urgently, holding onto Usagi with the same fervor she held onto him. Usagi memorized the way Seiya’s hand slid down her neck, the way it settled between her shoulder blades, the way he leaned into her but pulled at the same time, the way his fist balled around her long, golden hair. If life would pull them apart again, she’d protect these memories more fiercely than the Silver Crystal itself. The memory of the way Seiya felt and tasted would be the thing that could propel her forward through any timeline of responsibility and duty.
Abruptly, Seiya pulled away from Usagi. His breath came in small pants that Usagi felt against her jaw.
“Odango,” Seiya said, his voice husky, “tell me something.”
“Anything,” Usagi breathed.
“Would you still…would you still feel this way if I was…if I was Fighter?”
The question rung in Usagi’s head like bells. Memories flashed through her mind - Seiya’s transformations into Fighter, Fighter commanding attention on the battlefield, Fighter’s voice dripping with confidence and power, Fighter turning and offering Sailor Moon a crooked smile… Usagi had never kissed another girl before, but that didn’t mean she’d never wanted to.
She’d dreamed of Fighter because she’d dreamed of Seiya. They were one and the same, just as Seiya had said earlier.
“Transform, and I’ll tell you,” Usagi whispered into Seiya’s ear.
Seiya’s breathing shuddered unevenly. “Are you actually telling me to?”
“If you’re okay with that.”
Seiya exhaled and swallowed, as if trying to compose himself. He eventually chuckled, which felt like euphoria as Usagi leaned against him.
“You know I’ll do it,” Seiya said. “And you told me to do it anyway.”
“That’s why I told you,” Usagi pointed out. “Now, hurry it up. Unless you’re just bluffing.”
Seiya snatched his transformation compact from the table with a bit too strong of force. Usagi felt breathless as he leaned in once more, pressing a small kiss to her lips.
“You’d better stand back for a second,” Seiya said.
“Do it quietly or else you’ll wake up Chibi Chibi,” Usagi hissed.
“I have to shout it to do it,” Seiya reminded her.
“Can’t you just use your inside voice?”
“What if shouting is my inside voice?”
“ Seiya ,” Usagi said.
Seiya grinned and stood swiftly. Before Usagi knew it, he’d slipped out of the window the same way he’d come in. She had trouble untangling her legs so she could stumble after him. But by the time Usagi had made it to her window, Seiya was already down on the street, his ponytail disappearing behind the dark corner of a house.
She barely heard him shout the words that ignited the pink glow of his transformation - the transformation into Fighter.
As the light glowed on the side of the house, Usagi blinked and she inhaled sharply.
Fighter was going to come back up here. Her lips were still swollen from kissing Seiya. And what was going to happen when Fighter hopped up here? She hadn’t - she’d never -
Usagi turned around and took a quick survey of herself, exclaiming under her breath as she realized what she was wearing. An oversized pink nightshirt with a satin bow tied up in a double knot just under her neck. Giant matching pants and fluffy bunny socks. And - oh no - she hadn’t done laundry in weeks, and she was down to her worst bra and her worst pair of underwear! Would it even come to that? Would she and Fighter–
Usagi’s ears felt like they might burn off her head, her face was so hot.
But before Usagi could think about it any longer, a gentle thud at her window startled her, and she turned back around. Her heart thudded so strongly in her chest, that between it and her ears, she thought she might not be able to hear anything for the rest of her life.
Fighter swung her leg over the windowsill, entering Usagi’s room with grace and athleticism. Her eyes locked onto Usagi’s, and the memory of what they’d just been doing made both the girls blush tremendously.
“Hi,” Fighter said.
“Hi,” Usagi said.
As Fighter lowered her leg, her heel caught on a pile of stuffed animals that Usagi had forgotten to put away after Chibi Chibi finished playing with them. Fighter lost her balance and tumbled forward. Usagi rushed forward just in time to catch her before she thudded against the ground.
“Thanks,” Fighter said.
“Whew,” Usagi sighed. Then her face curled into a pout. “You have got to watch where you’re stepping! A girl might have all sorts of cute things lying around her room, you know. Just because you aren’t paying attention doesn’t mean–”
“Hey.”
Usagi stopped as Fighter stood straight, now almost a whole head taller than Usagi. How was she taller after transforming?
Fighter’s hands were still on Usagi’s arms even though she no longer needed them to steady her. Usagi realized that though these hands were different - smaller, softer - they held her with the same intensity, the same need, as before.
Usagi’s eyes trailed up Fighter as she lifted her head to meet her gaze. The smooth curve of Fighter’s stomach, her skin pulled taut against her muscles, her chest hardly concealed by her uniform’s top, the prominent line of her collarbone, the soft curve of her jaw and cheekbones. Her eyes, ever the same, as intense and demanding as Usagi had always known them.
“So?” Fighter said. Her voice, low and hypnotic as Seiya, was melodic and thrilling now, just as tantalizing, as desirable as ever. “What do you think?”
“Fighter,” Usagi whispered.
Fighter drew in a sharp breath, and shook her head incredulously. Her lip curled up in a one-sided smile, and Usagi found herself unable to look away from her mouth.
“It’s the same,” Fighter said. “When you say my name, it does the exact same thing to me.”
Usagi’s arms trailed up Fighter and pulled her down to meet her. Fighter quickly obliged, kissing Usagi with even more fervor than before.
Of course, Usagi realized, familiarizing herself with the different shape of Fighter’s body, being thrilled by the new ways they fit together. This is how she feels the most herself. Of course she’d want to know if I’d feel the same with her this way.
Fighter and Usagi stumbled over the stuffed animals once again, this time collapsing onto the floor, wrapping themselves up together. Fighter’s motions were somehow even more confident now, her lips tangling with Usagi’s, the tip of her tongue teasing Usagi’s lip until she was absolutely breathless. Usagi tentatively returned the gesture, and the resulting growl in Fighter’s chest was thrilling.
Fighter pulled away and her eyes trailed down Usagi - reminding Usagi of her less than exciting outfit. But Fighter didn’t seem bothered - she shook her head as her eyes moved back up to meet Usagi’s, and she laid her hand on her cheek to stroke it.
“You don’t know how long I’ve wondered,” Fighter panted, “if this was something you’d want. If I was something you’d want. I never expected you to do this to me. Odango, you’re driving me crazy.”
“Hey, I didn’t do anything,” Usagi said.
Fighter dropped her forehead against Usagi’s chest, and laughed into the space just below her collarbone. Usagi’s ears turned hot again - she realized she was nervous.
“That’s just it,” Fighter said, lifting her head. When her eyes met Usagi’s, it was like magic. “You don’t have to do a single thing.”
It was Usagi this time to reach out and touch Fighter’s cheek. She dragged her fingers across her skin, relishing in how smooth and soft it was, gently tugging a tuft of dark curls spiraling from underneath Fighter’s circlet.
“You’re beautiful,” Usagi whispered.
“Now you’re just trying to kill me,” Fighter said.
At her words, Usagi blinked. Images flashed through her mind. Images of Galaxia. The destruction of Fighter’s planet, shared as plainly with Usagi as if she were there the day it all went up in flames. All the poor people whose star seeds had been stolen, who would have died if the Sailor Guardians hadn’t intervened.
And on top of it all, there was Seiya, singing hope into the destruction.
There was Fighter, standing strong against the enemy.
“Damn it,” Fighter sighed. “I always have to say something.”
“No,” Usagi said quickly. She heard the panic in her own voice, the fear and the dread. “It’s okay. We’re okay.”
“I don’t want this to end either, Odango,” Fighter said, gently reaching out and holding Usagi’s wrist. “I really, really don’t want this to end.”
“We have more time,” Usagi insisted. “You don’t have to go. I don’t, either. We can just stay here, a little while longer.”
“We can,” Fighter said, “but as much as I want this, I know it isn’t going to last. We’re going to have to fight again. And…”
“Don’t say anything else.” Usagi sat up, reaching out and pulling Fighter close. She held her tightly by the shoulders, glaring into her eyes. “That’s tomorrow. Okay? We’ll fight tomorrow. And we’ll win. And then we’ll keep on fighting. We’ll fight every day until there’s nothing left to fight. And when it’s all over, we’ll be together again. You, and me. Just like this.” Usagi squeezed Fighter’s shoulders, relishing in the feeling of her skin beneath her hands, committing it to memory, committing it to mind forever. “Promise me that.”
“Usagi,” Fighter whispered. “I lov–”
“Don’t tell me yet,” Usagi said, tears welling in her eyes.
“What?” Fighter asked, blinking in confusion. “We might not ever get this chance again.”
“You were going to say it like goodbye,” Usagi said, her voice quivering. “When we’ve won, and it’s over, you can tell me then. So you’d better take care of yourself, and fight as hard as you can, and you’d better promise me that there will be another time. Because if you can’t promise me that, then I’ll never know. If you can’t promise me that we’re going to fight and win, whatever you were going to say, will never get said. Tell me you understand.”
Fighter’s eyes turned down in sadness - but there was resolve, too. “I understand,” she said.
“Good,” Usagi said. She leaned in, pressing her forehead against Fighter’s. “And I’ll promise, too,” she said. “The day we win, I’ll say it back. And I’ll say it as many times as you want. I’ll say it till you get sick of it.”
“Never,” Fighter whispered.
“Okay, then.”
“I promise,” Fighter said.
“I promise, too,” Usagi said.
Fighter’s transformation faded, and she was Seiya once again. Usagi clung to him with all the ferocity and determination any Moon Princess ever had.
She wouldn’t lose Seiya. Nothing would make her lose him now. As long as she lived, she’d never lose another person she loved.