Drops of Starlight

Chapter 32: The Truth Comes Out

💫 Drops of Starlight 💫
By Strawberry Moon Rose
🍓🌙🌹

Some of you guys were wondering why last week's chapter was posted a day early. Well, that would be because last Monday I was in the hospital...having a baby! I'm home now, and we are all doing well. It's a girl! Her due date was originally July 30th - Seiya's birthday. Did you ever think this fanfic was written by a super-pregnant woman? Haha, because it was. And actually, it's the whole reason this story even exists.

Basically, I started this fic as a distraction. Last December, morning sickness struck and I was left puking in bed for three months straight. It was hell and I needed to escape reality, bad. A few months prior, in October, I'd gotten the idea for this story and wrote up a detailed outline and the first couple chapters. I didn't think I would ever find the time to actually write the rest of it, but since I was suddenly on bedrest with nothing else to do, I picked up where I left off, writing every day since.

That being said, this story is very important to me, and I have zero intentions of abandoning it (plus it's complete!) so have no fear there. However, as you can imagine, everything is kind of crazy schedule and sleep-wise here at the moment. And even with the fic done, I still do some editing right before posting each week, and that does take a good amount of time since I post to multiple platforms and have to format differently on some.

Drops of Starlight will continue to be updated on Mondays (USA time). However, I can't make any promises other than I am going to try my best. That may look exactly the same (weekly), or it may be a little sporadic for a bit, we'll see how it goes. I thank you all in advance for understanding as I fall into my routine with a newborn. So if there isn't a chapter for one week, now you know why.

The second half of this story is my favorite half, so I'm really looking forward to your reactions to all the twists and turns ahead. A digital drawing I've been working on for a long time now will also be accompanying an upcoming chapter soon, and I'm excited for you to finally see it!

Okay, I think that's it! Enough author's notes, now you know what's up. I leave you with this chapter where the real fun begins...

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Chapter 32: The Truth Comes Out
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Makoto was the first to arrive later that evening, just as the fizziness of everyone's drinks wore off. A sweet scent of baked goods filled the room as she stepped through the door. Mako held a box of day-old cinnamon rolls from her workplace.

"Forget our cookies!" Usagi flipped back the lid and swiped her finger through the creamy frosting. "These are so much better!"

"Oh, you made cookies?" Makoto looked apologetic. "I didn't know that, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Minako appeared, waving off her words. "They were kinda burnt anyway."

Luna and Artemis greeted their tall friend, and Makoto moved on to exchanging "how have you been" and "busy as ever" with the Starlights, who joined the gathering. The room filled with the pleasant hum of friendly chatter.

Yaten couldn't help but notice the sparkling rose-shaped diamond on Makoto's left finger. "Nice ring," she commented, her eyes drawn to the elegant piece of jewelry.

Makoto touched her ring self-consciously, her cheeks tinged with a soft blush. "Thank you," she replied.

Eager to get a closer look, Minako playfully elbowed her way to Makoto's side. "Lemme see! I haven't seen it yet!"

"Have you picked a date for the big day?" Luna asked.

Makoto nodded, smiling when Minako and Usagi fawned over the piece of jewelry.  "June sixteenth," she replied. "I'm so excited, it can't come soon enough. I've already got the flowers picked out for my bouquet and everything."