An unexpected end?

She couldn't win every battle…

Usagi fell to her knees as the black light hit her again. Her fuku was torn and bloody, her odangos were unravelling, she had grazes all over her body and face. She slowly got back onto her feet, only to be thrown back into a wall by a eighth, ninth, perhaps tenth beam of dark energy; she had lost count. As she hit the hard wall she let out of a squeak of pain, feeling her head bruise as it smacked hard against the bricks. She slid down to the floor, landing in a heap on the pavement. Her enemy came up to her and pulled her up by her throat, tightening his grip as he lifted her above his head. She did not resist. She just waited. As expected, he threw her back against the wall as if she were only a rag doll. She fell to the ground once more.

She could hear Mamoru's faint yells through the magical barrier, and this made her more determined. Gripping her sceptor tightly, she stood up again, wiping a trickle of blood from the side of her mouth. As she did so, she caught sight of him, and her friends out the corner of her eye. Before the battle had begun, she had used the ginzishou to create a protective dome around him and her Senshi, so they would not get hurt. They had protested greatly, but she would not let them risk their lives for her again.

She turned back to her enemy. "Silver Moon!" She began. Then ribbons appeared from nowhere and wound themselves around her. They wrapped around her ankles, her arms, wrists, torso and her throat. As she struggled against them, they only tightened more, catching her breath and burning her body. She felt tears of pain and resignation fall down her cheeks, ending in her hair.

~*~

Mamoru pounded the barrier with a fist, then rested his forehead against the dome. He could not yell her name again. If he did, he would break down. He wanted to help her, protect her, die for her if necessary. Beside him, her Senshi were reacting very differently to one another. Venus and Mercury were kneeling on the floor, leaning on each other for support, tears flowing down their faces. Mars and Jupiter were sending their most powerful attacks at the walls of the barrier, trying to knock it down. Pluto and Saturn were screaming her name over and over. Uranus and Neptune stood with their backs to Usagi, their heads bowed, not wanting to witness the situation before them. Mamoru watched as Neptune entwined her hand with Uranus'.

He looked out at Usagi. She was being uncharacteristically stubborn, he thought bitterly. And now, she was dying out there. No, he thought. She wasn't going to die.

~*~

Usagi could feel her consciousness slipping away from her. It was becoming harder and harder to breath. She could see a bright light in front of her face. Even at this time, she couldn't help but be amazed that she was actually seeing a bright light. It was so cliché. If she wasn't strung up in the air and dying, she would laugh, she thought. She could hear distant screams and yells of her name, but they were slowing fading.

Then, she felt a release. The air rushed back into her lungs and she realised she was falling through the air, down towards the earth. She landed with a sickening thud, feeling pain run through her body once more.

The glowing 'bright light' was coming from her chest. She sat up weakly, and then held the ginzuishou in her palm. Using the last bit of her strength, Eternal Sailor Moon used her ginzishou to defeat evil for the final time.

~*~

Mamoru's heart fell to the floor as he saw the ribbons disperse and her small frame descend through the air, landing with the most heart-breaking sound he had ever heard. He pressed his hands flat against the walls of the barrier, then stumbled as they suddenly disappeared. He saw the blinding light of the ginzishou, and ran to her, catching her as she fell backwards. Cradling her in his arms, he called out her name, over and over.

She finally opened her eyes to see a frantic Mamoru holding her, his eyes full of tears.

She smiled up at her fiancé. "Is it over?" she whispered.

"He's gone," Mamoru said, pulling her closer to him, "Don't worry Usako, you'll be alright, the Senshi have-""Mamo-chan," Usagi interrupted. "There's no point now. It's all right," she smiled weakly.

Then she sighed and rested her head against his chest. She couldn't help but think of their shattered future, of Chibi-Usa.

"It wasn't supposed to end this way," she whispered into his shirt. She felt his tears running down into her hair. "Mamo-chan…"

Between them, a glowing had appeared once more on Usagi's chest. With a shaking hand she reached beneath her fuku and pulled out a small, star-shaped locket. It played a beautiful melody, releasing their thoughts and fears for a moment. Her Senshi stood a few feet away, watching their fallen princess accept death so easily, their hearts breaking for the couple before them.

Usagi tied the musical locket around her lover's neck. "Don't forget me," she whispered.

"Usako," Mamoru muttered into her hair. Lifting her chin, he kissed her broken lips gently.

With her last breath, she uttered against his lips, "I love you Mamo-chan... Endymion."