Wavering Destiny

Chapter 19: The Tide is High

Wavering Destiny
by Strawberry Moon Rose

A bit of a longer chapter, hope you don't mind.

04/01/21 - My friend on ig, veganimegirl, and I collaborated for a fan art piece for this chapter! Head to my instagram, taylorlynn.art, and scroll to April 1st, 2021 if you want to check it out before reading.

(It is also the cover image for this story.)

Enjoy =D

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi.
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Chapter 19: The Tide is High
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The moon was almost too bright to look at. Three times the size of Earth's moon, its dusty craters and shadows created a rabbit-less, abstract design.

"What are you looking at?" Seiya whispered into her ear. Embracing Usagi from behind in the water, she felt the the air was getting cooler as the night grew on. The bobbing waves that sloshed to her shoulders felt warm.

"The moon," replied Usagi. "It's so beautiful..."

"Hmm...which one?"

"What do you mean 'which one'? I'm still talking about the moon."

"Me too. Our planet has three of them."

"What?" She scanned the sky and there it was - a smaller moon hanging just over the palace. Usagi wasn't sure if it was rising or setting.

"I forget you don't know some of these things," said Seiya. "The other one will rise in a few hours. There's lots of neat things on Kinmoku. You should stay here longer to see them."

Usagi swallowed. "I wish I could."

Seiya's lips gently brushed against her ear, tickling her. "I missed you so much, you know."

"I know..."

"I thought about you everyday. You can ask Taiki and Yaten, or even the Princess - I was a mess when we came back here. And not just because we had to rebuild parts of our planet."

"Seiya..." Usagi bit her lip in frustration. It was heartbreaking imagining what the past year had brought for the Sailor Starlight. She remembered the quietness in Seiya's eyes when she first saw her outside the palace upon their arrival. But within the past few days she seemed more like the Seiya she knew from her time on Earth.

Seiya pressed her forehead into Usagi's wet hair. "I wanted to visit you, but I didn't know if I could. I didn't think I had the courage either..."

A familiar welling puddled in Usagi's eyes. "Seiya, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through, right from the start. Maybe I shouldn't have come here, but I couldn't help it."

"How are you gonna leave after all this?"

"I don't know..." The aching in her chest made it hard to breathe. The prickly sensation sprang to her eyes again, and warmth spilled over.

"How can I be okay when nothing makes sense like it used to?" Usagi's chin wobbled. "I don't know what's going on between us anymore. I thought we were just friends. I mean, I know you liked me back on Earth, but... And now...now I th-think maybe I felt the same way, but never really noticed it... Not until you left, and I followed you."

Seiya spun her around into a hug. "Oh, Bun Head..."

Usagi's voice was muffled as she spoke into the wet material of Seiya's shirt. "Now I know how I feel, but now I don't know what to do about it. I have Mamo and my duty..."