Disclaimer: Sailormoon and any characters/concepts/whatever belong to the absolutely wonderful Takeuchi Naoko-dono! ^^ Kira/Star Striker and Aoi/Star Keeper belong to Cassandra Sisenta (I just kidnapped them for a while, but I'll return them in the original packaging!) and Hikaru/Star Hunter, Josei/Star Dancer and Amai/Star Dreamer are products of my own imagination. ^_~

Hikaru: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Sena: Hush.

NEW CHAPTER!! HARK, FOR EVERYONE SHALL DIE OF SHOCK!! =O ...what?

So, the first set of lyrics are to the song Namida wa Shittiru, which is one of the Ending Themes from the anime series Rurouni Kenshin, and was originally sung by Suyukaze Mayo. If you have never seen RK, I definitely recommend that you do so—it's an altogether amazing series. The second set of lyrics (which are unfinished in this) are from Nagareboshi He, which is, obviously, from Sailormoon Stars and was originally sung by Niiyama Shiho (as Seiya), Tsunoda Narumu (as Taiki) and Sakamoto Chika (as Yaten).

Oh, and I actually got around to writing the sequel to Umbroso Estrella! O.O;; Remember? The one I promised to write over a year ago? Well, I finally got it started! *one person cheers* So! Dance In The Shadows! YAY!

And I'm also a couple of pages into a little side-story to Walk A Mile, which is called Someone Else's Shoes and is about the Outer Senshi/Quartet/Chibiusa while the Inners are on Kinmoku. That should be out... soon. I hope. *crossed fingers here*

Walk A Mile

11: Being Ever So Female...

Becoming a woman again was a little more complicated than just willing it to happen, but with some pointers from Taiki and Aoi (who really felt badly about the entire sordid affair), all of the Earth Senshi had, yes, finally, thankfully, managed it.

"Ahh!" Stretching her arms above her head, Usagi uttered a contented sigh and flopped backward onto her bed, reveling in her newly rediscovered feminism. Suddenly, the bright pink of her appointed quarters didn't seem so inappropriate. This is so much better than before!

It was funny, but she hadn't actually hated her time as a guy—not that she was about to tell anyone that. It had been eye-opening, to say the least, and fun in a different sort of way. She wondered, though, how the Starlights had learned about the seemingly universal ability of Senshi to change genders.

She would have to remember to ask Seiya about that...

I wonder what Kakyuu-hime will do with the tuxedos she had made for us?

Her eyes drifted to aforementioned white-and-silver suit, which she had draped over the back of the only chair in the room. It was a pity, really—it was such a nice outfit—but it certainly didn't fit her now that she was a female once more. Maybe one of the Lights would have some use for it...

"Usagi-chan!" The door banged open to admit a bouncing—female—Minako, who twirled around several times in the doorway, hair flying around her. "I'm back to normal! Isn't it great?"

"Uh... hai?"

The other blonde didn't seem to notice her lack of enthusiasm as she practically skipped over to seat herself on the edge of the bed next to Usagi, who shuffled herself over a bit to make room. She hadn't seen Minako so happy since... well, since Luna had told them of Kakyuu's generous offer to host them for a few days.

"I missed my bow," Minako sighed, and absently reached up to touch the familiar strip of red ribbon, "ponytails are not the way to go for this Senshi..." pausing, she frowned in Usagi's direction; "daijobo ka, Usagi-chan?"

"I'm fine." Shaking her head, Usagi pushed herself up onto her elbows and wrinkled her nose. "Just tired, I guess."

"Sou..." Minako agreed vaguely, then; "no sleeping just yet, ne?" And when her friend gave her a puzzled look, she winked and added; "the Ball's still going on, Usagi! Just because we made a bit of a scene doesn't mean the whole thing was called off! We're all supposed to head back down for a while—you know, just put in an appearance."

'A bit of a scene' was more than a little understatement. The two of them, along with Rei, having literally chased Seiya and Yaten out of the ballroom, had probably created the biggest scandal in the last ten years.

Then again, this is Seiya's home...

Who knew what the Nagareboshi Senshi's leader did in her spare time?

"I guess we can wear dresses, now." Usagi commented, half-to-herself, and Minako nodded emphatically. "And I did want to see Hikaru and the others perform."

"Exactly!" Never one to pass up an opportunity to dress up and dance, the Senshi of Venus was already more than willing to get back into the Party Mood. "It'd be rude of us not to go, and I'm sure Hikaru-tachi want us to see them sing, ne?"

"Hai..."

"Great!" All perkiness and enthusiasm once more, Minako bounced back up from the bed and gestured toward the closet with one hand, "so get dressed already! I'm going to pick out a dress, and I'll meet you down there, alright?"

Usagi watched her friend vanish out into the hallway, shutting the door behind herself, and then turned her attention to the awaiting closet. Honestly, she didn't know what to expect inside—but she got up and walked over, then swung the doors open, anyway.

Most of her own clothing—meaning, that which she had brought with her from Earth—was still packed in her bag, so anything that was in the closet would have been put there by... who? Possibly Kakyuu, though she wouldn't have done it herself, and instead would have had someone else do it for her.

There were three dresses inside, and, on the floor beneath them, shoes to match: one dress was a plain, pure white, with long flared sleeves and a flowing skirt. The second was a beautiful baby blue color, with a shorter, knee-length skirt and no sleeves at all.

And the third—

The third dress was midnight black, with a trailing skirt and loose, scoop-neck. The straps that were to hold it up were thin, and subtle sequins adorned the edges of the flowing hemline.

Seiya chose this one.

There was no doubt in her mind—none at all—as she looked at the final dress. It was gorgeous, really, but had Seiya's taste in gowns written all over it... and, not unexpectedly, it was the nicest of the three. Usagi fingered one of the straps absently as she removed it from the closet, followed shortly by a pair of elegant black sandals...

It fit perfectly, which was a bit of a surprise, considering she hadn't chosen it herself. Not that she was going to complain, of course. Regarding herself in a mirror that backed the dresser in the room, she brushed invisible lint from the dress and then smoothed back a stray lock of hair.

It was almost strange to see herself, odango hairstyle and everything, staring back at her from the mirror's reflective surface. I wasn't a man for that long, but I sure got used to being one.

She couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not...

Shaking her head, she turned away from her reflection and stepped out into the hallway—just in time to run headlong into Makoto, who had emerged from her room only seconds before—

"Oof!"

Luckily, Makoto was a lot more graceful than Usagi was, and she not only stopped herself from careening into the floor, but caught the blonde before she could do it, too. She was giggling to herself as she steadied Usagi on her feet, and then raised an eyebrow speculatively.

"It's a very nice dress, Usagi-chan," she said pleasantly, "but are you sure you can walk on those heels?"

"Nya!" Sticking her tongue out, Usagi crossed her arms and pouted. "I'm not that clumsy, Mako-chan!"

"Says she who just about knocked us both on our backsides." Makoto replied, but she followed the joke with a friendly pat on Usagi's back, and then gave her a gentle shove; "get moving, or they'll start wondering what happened to us."

Usagi nodded in agreement, and the two of them started down toward the ballroom: Makoto herself was wearing a dress that was a deep, chocolate brown, with a leaf-vine pattern trailed across it, from her right shoulder down to her left hip.

"I like you dress, too." She said finally as they approached the huge, ornate doors that lead to the Ball Princess Kakyuu had insisted on throwing in their honor. Beyond the doors, music was flowing easily, lead by Hikaru's voice as she sang...

"Kimi ga namida ni yureru toki,
Dousureba iin darou.

Sora wo miagetemo
Kokoro ga itai..."

"Thanks." Makoto grinned, pushing the doors open, and the two of them slipped into the room as inconspicuously as possibly—

"Usagi-chan! Mako-chan!"

No sooner had they crossed the threshold than Minako was on them, showing off her own dress and drooling over theirs. She had, upon changing back to her normal self, completely reverted to her old habits: Yaten, still wearing her silver dress and looking hugely nonplussed, was trying vainly to retrieve her arm from Minako's steel-trap of a grasp.

Makoto quickly slipped away, having spotted Kira and Aoi, who were standing to one side of the dance floor, presumable to chat with the blonde Light about cooking—or baking. Basically, anything to escape from Minako's giggling and Yaten's complaining.

"You look so pretty!" Having waved vaguely to acknowledge Makoto's leaving, Minako continued gushing in Usagi's general direction, "I've never seen you in a black dress before, but it looks so good on you, Usagi-chan!"

"Arigato," Usagi nodded toward the other girl's own dress: one of a pale, elegant gold, which—coincidentally?—set off Yaten's silver gown quite well. "Yours is nice, too."

"Arigato, Usagi-chan!"

"Anou..." trying not to sound suspicious, but not really in the mood to stay and let Minako continue to ramble at her, she cleared her throat as her eyes lit on the table—which had been set up in an out-of-the-way corner—that was heaped with drinks. "I'm going to get a drink... talk to you later?"

Minako blinked, then shrugged. "Hai, I guess."

As she ducked past her friend, Yaten began to fuss again...

"Kizu tsukanakute ii koto ni
Dare mo ga fureteshimau.
Mizu no tsumetasa ni
Odoroku toki no you ni."

Glancing over her shoulder, Usagi giggled as Minako began to drag Yaten off toward the dance floor, regardless of the fact that both of them were girls. Not that it matters, her mind told her firmly, as thoughts of Haruka and Michiru flashed through her head, it doesn't at all...

Still, Yaten didn't look particularly happy...

When does she ever?

"Tonari ni iru dake de
Nanimo dekinai kedo
Arittake no egao kimi, dake ni
Kakaete okuruyo donna toki mo..."

The drink table was alluring, but she didn't take one right away: instead, each and every glass on the table found itself under careful scrutiny. She'd been exposed to alcohol all of twice in her entire life, and both times had ended with her making a complete fool of herself (and everyone associated with her).

She wasn't going to make that mistake this time, too...

This one... looks safe.

A tiny sip from the crystal glass she had selected proved to be some kind of juice—or so she hoped—and she carefully moved out of the way, standing near one wall and watch the couples (oh, and Minako and Yaten) dance and sip at her drink while trying to appear far more sophisticated than she felt.

"Shinjite ii yo yume wa yattekuru
Kimi no tame dake ni.
Naitemo ii yo donna kanashimimo
Tsubasa ni kawaru no sa sono mune de."

Hikaru was obviously having a lot of fun, and, as far she Usagi could tell, so were Josei and Amai—though Amai was trying very hard to keep her face turned down and her attention firmly on the piano keys in front of her. She reminded the blonde of Ami in that way...

It wasn't all that surprising that the three New Lights could sing. And play their own music; they were being taught by Seiya and the others, after all. Besides which, it seemed that music flowed through every Starlight's veins.

I wonder if Kira-san and Aoi-san can play as well? Probably...

Speaking of Kira and Aoi, they were off dancing as well, and seeming more than familiar with it. For a moment, Usagi entertained the idea that dancing was the reason Kira had shown up at the Ball in a tuxedo instead of a dress...

Or she—he—whatever—just did it to get Seiya in trouble.

That was a good bet, too...

"Dareka wo mamoru koto nante
Kantan ni dekinai ne?
Kimi ni furuame mo
Tomerarenai yo."

"I like your dress."

The voice was familiar and, at the same time, completely out of place. Blinking, Usagi turned to look over her shoulder at Seiya—at Seiya, who was, once again, wearing a familiar red suit and looking very much as he had during his stint as a superstar on Earth.

"Seiya?" She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice as he moved to stand beside her. "N-nani..."

"You can pick your jaw up off of the floor any time now, Odango." He grinned.

"D-demo—"

He shook his head for a moment, chuckling, and then said; "we still have to have that dance, ne? I figured this would make it easier—" on those words, he nodded toward Minako and Yaten, who weren't dancing so much as arguing to music. With a quirk of his lips, he offered her his arm; "shall we?"

"Dakedo akirametaku wa nai—
Chippokena yuuki demo.
Itsuka honto no
Tsuyosa ni nareru naraba..."

Before she could object, Seiya had taken her glass away and set it somewhere for safe keeping—and then escorted her to the dance floor, where he immediately swept her off to meld in with all the other dancing people.

She had to be very careful not to trip and fall flat on her face, and it must have been obvious by how hard she was concentrating, for Seiya couldn't help but chuckle at the focused way she was watching her own feet...

"Don't worry so much, Odango, you're doing fine."

"Ne?" She looked up. "You'll regret saying that when I trip and take you down with me..."

"Chiisana chou de sae
Umi wo koeteyukeru.
"Itsuka, kitto," sonna kotoba shika,
Ienai jibun ga kuyashii kedo."

She was doing fairly well—and actually enjoying herself, rather that fretting over her own clumsiness—and then they happened to pass Kira and Aoi. The blonde nodded cheerfully in their direction, and the redhead winked toward Usagi, who couldn't help the flush of red that colored her cheeks.

"Concentrate on your own date, Kira." Seiya muttered, just loud enough for them to hear on their way past.

Both of the other Lights blinked—and then turned beet red when his words actually struck home.

Usagi was surprised. "You mean they're not... anou..."

"A couple?" Seiya finished for her, as Kira and Aoi vanished back into the crowd, "they say not, but..."

"Ah..."

"Shinjite ii yo niji wa yattekuru
Kimi no tsuma saki e.
Shinjite ii yo kimi no toki ga kuru,
Mousugu atarashii kaze no naka..."

To Usagi's surprise, Taiki seemed to have asked Ami to dance.

Seiya pointed it out, and she wouldn't have believed it herself had she not seen them with her own eyes, and as it was she had to resist the urge to rub at her eyes. Besides that surprising fact, Taiki was also—like Seiya and Kira—no longer in female form. Well, I'll be...

"She changed for Ami," Seiya confided, as if reading her thoughts. "Taiki's kind of stuck on her..."

"Hontou ni?" She'd had her suspicions, but...

"Hai," he agreed brightly, "not that he'll admit it."

"It's the same with Ami-chan." Usagi nodded, "she's always been like that."

"Always?"

"Yup."

"Hmm."

"Sou sa, kanarazu yume wa yattekuru—
Sono mune wo hiroge.
Kitto namida wa sore wo shitte iru
Oshie ni kitan dayo ashita kara."

Minako and Yaten passed them, Minako looking determined and Yaten looking about as resigned as she could, and Usagi had to shake her head. When will she learn?

"You know, she's the only one that Yaten'll tolerate like that."

"Sou da ne..."

They both lapsed into silence once more, instead concentrating on the music and dancing, and Usagi was once again struck by how talented the denizens of Kinmoku seemed to be: the song that Hikaru, Josei and Amai were playing was even an Earth song—she recognized it as one.

"Do they write their own music, too?" She wondered aloud.

"Sometimes," Seiya shrugged, "Amai does a lot of writing, but she's not really confident enough to let others hear it. Normally it's Hikaru that comes out with original pieces, though I can't say if she's the one who wrote them or not..."

"Are all you Starlights so into music?"

He raised one eyebrow. "It comes with the territory, Odango."

"Shinjite iiyo yume wa yatte kuru
Kimi no tame dake ni.
Naite mo iiyo donna kanashimimo
Tsubasa ni kawaru no sa sono mune de..."

The music wound to an end, but Seiya seemed reluctant to release her. Stepping away, he gave a short bow, "doumo arigato, Odango. You're a better dancer than I thought you'd be."

"Uh, arigato... I guess."

"I also wanted to say," he continued; "gomen ne."

Surprise. "What for?"

"Earlier." He seemed chagrined, "I should have just told you how to change back when you first got here."

Her hands went to her hips almost by habit, but she found she wasn't really angry. "Well... it didn't really hurt me, so..."

"Great."

He was visibly relieved, and Usagi was once again reminded just how much her opinion meant to him. A momentary flash of discomfort washed over her, and she moved her hands from her hips to cross her arms instead—a purely unconscious defensive motion.

"Minna-san!"

Hikaru's voice, this time sans-lyrics, called out over the murmuring of the crowd, and Usagi was more than glad to turn her eyes to the outgoing Light-In-Training. One arm still in a sling, the aqua-haired girl waved the other one to catch everyone's attention.

"We're going to do another song, now." She told them all; "one that you should all know pretty well... but with a few little changes, considering our particular instruments... ne, Josei-chan?"

Josei rolled her eyes and waved her violin bow in Hikaru's general direction. "Hai, Hai..."

There was a moment of shuffling about on stage, then, as Amai thumbed through her music to find the correct sheets, and both she and Josei moved microphones to within their reach, and then—

"Search for your love.....

Search for you love..."

"WAI!"

Minako's voice called out over the beginning of the song. Usagi couldn't actually see her, but she was certainly loud enough when she wanted to be. Giggling a bit, she turned back to Seiya, who was watching his protégés with a half-grin on his face.

"Ne, Seiya?"

"Hmm? Nani yo, Odango?"

"I don't suppose you'd like to dance again, would you?"

He blinked slowly, then tipped his head to the side and held out one hand; "of course, m'lady."

She couldn't help it—her face flushed red. "S-Seiya..."

"Kimi ha itsumo kagayai te ta,
egao hitotsu chiisana hoshi.
taisetsu ni shite ta yo...
ano hiboku ha mamore nakute,
kuyashi namida kora e ta dake,
ita mi ga noku ru yo..."

"You do look lovely, Odango." He whispered, and she giggled nervously.

"That's only because you have such good taste in dresses, Seiya."

"Ah! Who sold me out this time? Yaten? Kira?"

"No one. I could just tell."

"Sou..." he shook his head, and then leaned down to brush his lips lightly across her cheek, making her blush even brighter. "Nonetheless, it really looks good on you."

"Seiya..."

"I know, I know." Moving back, he smiled, this time a bit sadly. "Mamoru-san and all..."

"Gomen ne..."

"Iie," he shook his head. "I know better..." brightening, he added; "shall we dance, then?"

She wanted to say something else—but decided against it. Instead, she just took his hand and allowed him to lead her off into another dance. Hai... we can dance, at least... we can dance...

~*~*~*~*~

Mou... I like this chapter, but... it has quite a different feel to it than the others... or is it just me? Poor... everyone. The only characters who really got to be in this chapter were Usagi and Seiya. Not that I mind, of course.... I'm just rambling.

Hopefully the next chapter won't take so friggin' long... -_-;;