Author's Notes: Okay, everyone this is it. This is the final chapter of Shadows of the Night. I can't believe that this is the ending (my longest chapter ever, too!) and I'm really sad to see this story be finished. I have to say that I have been really pleased by all the reviews that I have gotten for this story. In fact, this is my fourth story to ever go over 100 reviews! So thank you very much! Just to let everyone know, this is another chapter that relies heavily on the manga (this time volumes 3 and 10) in some parts, and well, that's all I have to say about this chapter. So thanks to PoisonIvy89, storycrazy22, sakanascales876, justa reader, LadyLucky Duck, JtheChosen1, ChibiTengu, nebelflecke, Skipper1608, SerentiyMoonGodness, SerenaDarienforeverJune30, transformersfan214, moonxxprincessxx18, AngelONight, lillian, Dhampire12, JessMess, and fireturtle309 for reviewing the last chapter and I hope everyone enjoys this one! You finally get to see how everything ends! So, without further ado I now present, the final chapter of Shadows of the Night! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Last time. I do not own Sailor Moon. I also do not own the songs "A New Day Has Come" by Celine Dion and "Shadows of the Night" by Pat Benetar. Really wish I did, but alas I do not. Also, original plot line of the Dark characters belongs to the wonderful AngelONight who wrote In Darkness. This is just something I came up with while reading it.
Shadows of the Night
By: afallenblackrose
Where it was dark now there's light
Where there was pain now there's joy
Where there was weakness, I found my strength
All in the eyes of a boy
Hush, love
I see a light in the sky
Oh, it's almost blinding me
I can't believe that I've been touched by an angel with love
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new sun
A new day has come
~A New Day Has Come ~Celine Dion
The city around them was decaying and dying. The screams that they had heard from the citizens of Tokyo when the energy sucking cloud had been in the sky, now intensified. They were no longer screams of exhaustion, but of death. But all of this went unnoticed as Endymion held Sailor Moon's lifeless body in his arms. He hadn't known that he could feel this kind of pain. His heart was contracting, but very painfully in his chest. He knew without looking at his face that bitter tears were flowing down his cheeks. What had he done? Had he really pushed this so far? He bitterly thought. He wanted Serenity to turn to Darkness, and even though he knew that she would fight, he had never imagined this situation. Maybe he shouldn't have pushed so hard, maybe…he hung his head in shame, he could try to convince himself that what he did was for the greater good, but he knew now that it was only for his selfish desires. Now, that it was too late and Sailor Moon was dead.
The Outer Senshi stood to the side and stared down at their fallen princess. How could they have let this happen? They were supposed to guard the princess from such danger. They had failed in their mission. Sailor Pluto, who now held her garnet rod once again, stared down at the fallen princess. She could have stopped all of this from happening. Yes, it would have sacrificed her life, but was her life so more important than the princess's and wouldn't the princess have reincarnated her? Neptune reached out a hand to Pluto, who firmly grasped it. They all needed each other's comfort. Uranus who was too distraught and was leaning heavily on Sailor Neptune, was taking this the hardest. She had grown really close to Usagi when she had arrived in Los Angeles three years ago. Even back during the Silver Millennium, the two of them had been close.
*Flashback*
Usagi's uncle Adam had been very surprised to see his niece on his porch still in her pajamas that morning when he got up to get the paper. After a few calls to her parents back in Tokyo, he admitted that she could stay at his house for as long as she wanted. He hadn't seen his niece in a few years, and she looked like she could do with a rest from her life in Tokyo.
It had been a few weeks since Usagi's arrival, and even though Adam had believed the time away from Tokyo would do her good, it didn't appear to be working. He woke up in the middle of the night to hear her screams from the down the hall. What exactly had happened in Tokyo that made her act this way? Did it have anything to do with all the monster attacks that he had heard about from his sister? Whatever the reason, Adam decided that she needed to take her mind off of things, and invited his coworker's daughters; Michiru, Setsuna, and Haruka, over to meet his niece. They were roughly the same age, and could possibly relate to the troubled girl.
Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna, for their part, already knew whom they were going to be meeting that day when they came over. Queen Selene's spirit had been in contact with Setsuna and told her about the change in their mission. Things had gone horribly wrong in Tokyo, and now, their princess needed their help to set things right. Whenever she decided to, of course. But while she was healing, they had been put in charge of protecting her and training her so that way when she did go back she would be able to face her loved ones with a new found strength.
That afternoon when they arrived, they instantly recognized the princess and couldn't help but shudder at her appearance. The bubbly and alive girl that they had known when they lived during the Silver Millennium was no longer there. Instead there was a zombie; Usagi's hair was still as golden as it had been when she was a princess, but her eyes, which had spoken volumes of what she felt, showed no emotion. They were dead. The bags underneath, told the story of how little sleep she had received since coming to the states. The three girls exchanged worried looks, their job wasn't going to be as easy as they thought.
As soon as Adam left the room to give them time alone to get to know each other, the three instantly bowed to Usagi. She, stood back a hand to her mouth and her eyes widening, how was it these three girls knew who she was?
"We greet you, Princess Serenity," Setsuna said. "We wish not to cause you any fear, your mother, Queen Selene, had informed us of your arrival and we hastened as quickly as we could to your side. My name is Sailor Pluto."
"I am Sailor Neptune," Michiru said from beside Setsuna.
"And I am Sailor Uranus."
"We are the three Sailor Senshi from the Outer Planet Solar System. We have been assigned to protect you while you are here. We have also been assigned to help train you, for if you ever decide to go back to Tokyo to face…"
"That's enough," Usagi cut her off. "I need to make one thing perfectly clear. Now, that you have mentioned to me who you are, I do remember you and I understand why my mother has sent you to me. But I will not have any need for the training that you have been assigned to give me. I have no intentions of going back there. None whatsoever."
The three girls looked at each other with shock written over their faces. What had gone down in Tokyo that made their princess feel this way? They all knew though, especially by her statement, that they shouldn't push her into giving out any details of what had happened. She would explain everything to them, when she was ready. The only thing that they could do right now, was give her time and friendship that she desperately needed.
A couple months later, Usagi came to Haruka's door. Her eyes were brimmed with red as if she had been crying, and there were deep bags underneath her eyes. She hadn't been sleeping, and Adam had called to tell Haruka that Usagi's screaming in the middle of the night was getting worse. Yet, when Haruka opened her door and saw the disheveled blonde, she still felt shock at this appearance and put her foot down. There was only so much space Sailor Uranus could give. She wanted to know everything that had happened, and she wanted to know now.
Inviting her inside, Haruka led her to the couch, placed a box of tissues in front of Usagi, and told her to spill. A few tissue boxes later, Haruka understood fully why she had left and why she was screaming in the middle of the night. She was pissed as all hell at the Inner Senshi. They were supposed to guard their princess, not fall into the Darkness' clutches. And that Endymion! She knew when she first laid eyes on him back in the Silver Millennium that he wasn't good enough for Serenity, but to pull this stunt? The next time she saw him….she ground her teeth. This wasn't helping matters. Usagi needed consoling and help.
"I know you said that you don't want any training, Bunny," Haruka said very carefully. "But I really believe that it might be for the best. One day, you're going to wake up and realize what you left behind, and you're going to want to go back and fight for it. I know you, Buns, I know how big your heart is. You're not going to let this go. So, please, reconsider?"
Usagi was real quiet after Haruka finished her speech, she saw the battle that was raging in the princess's eyes, and knew that what she had said hit a nerve. Finally, she inhaled sharply, "You're right, Haruka. One day when I calm down, I'm going to go back, and when that day comes, I'm going to need to be ready for it. I refuse to go back as the weak and corny Sailor Moon. You say you can help me with this training? Well, then, let's do it."
*End of Flashback*
The Inner Senshi, who were standing in a circle directly behind Endymion, were clutching desperately to the Shitennou. Tears of disbelief and sadness flowed down their cheeks, unchecked. Each of them knew that a small part of this was their fault. Princess Serenity was entrusted into their care, and they had failed her when she needed them the most. She was stronger than any of them, for they had given into the Darkness too easily. They should have been stronger for her, they should have…Venus and Jupiter let out heart wrenching sobs. They had betrayed her so willingly to be with the ones they loved. How could they have done that to her? Turning their backs on the visual of Sailor Moon's body, they all cried into the chests of the Shitennou. The Shitennou, for their part, comforted their lovers as best they could. Since they had not known the princess as well as the others there was not as much pain, but because Sailor Moon had been precious to their prince, they felt his pain. Maybe they shouldn't have pushed this so far….
Black Lady was the last to appear on the building roof. Her eyes widened and she felt herself shaking when she saw her future mother lying as still as death in the arms of Endymion. As she looked around her, she knew without a doubt that her mother was dead, but if her mother was dead, why was she still in this time? With her mother's death, the course of time would have changed. Black Lady shouldn't have been standing there. Someone shimmered next to her, without turning her face she knew that it was Helios.
"Princess Serenity," he whispered beside her instantly dropping to his knees. He hadn't expected this to happen. He had only seen the outcome of the future going two different ways; the Light prevailing, or the Darkness prevailing. He hadn't foreseen the princess's death. His breath caught in his throat as he turned to look at Chibi-Usa. "What happened? How did she die?" He asked, his voice still whispering. Black Lady's red eyes stared back at him, her mouth was set in a grimace. She knew what had caused her mother's death but she couldn't admit it to Helios. Even though her crystal had followed her heart, it was still broken. She didn't want to see the look of disgust or disappointment on his face. It would only cause her heart more pain. Luckily for her though, she didn't have to, for in mere seconds she felt herself being torn from where she stood. Helios blinked to make sure that he had seen what he had saw, but the fact remained. Black Lady was no longer standing before him.
She was gone.
Endymion looked up from Sailor Moon's head and instantly found Helios. Helios, who was still kneeling, met the prince's heartbroken gaze with a look of sympathy. He knew that even though the prince had wanted to turn the princess to the Darkness no matter what the costs, this wasn't what he had in mind. He had never wanted to see her dead. No matter his intentions, he still loved Serenity with all of his heart, and that was the only reason he wanted to turn her to Darkness, so that they could be together. Endymion opened his mouth, but no words came out. His throat felt clogged, and he was surprised that he had gone this long without noticing. He tried again, "Where is Black Lady?" He finally was able to ask.
"She is gone," Helios replied, his tone quiet. "With Princess Serenity's death the future has changed. It is now uncertain of what will happen." He finally took in his surroundings when he heard another scream from a citizen of Tokyo. His eyes widened at the destruction. Now, he was deeply curious as to what had led to this entire ruckus. He looked to the Outer Senshi to gain some answers.
"Black Lady and Endymion both sent the power of their crystals to Sailor Moon to stop her from destroying an energy sucking cloud. Since Sailor Moon was channeling her crystal, when all three powers clashed…" Neptune trailed off.
"The world began to die," Helios answered for her. "And Princess Serenity died because it was too much power for her unsuspecting body to handle. As I said before, the future of the world is now uncertain. That is, if there is any future left." He looked at Princess Serenity's body still cradled in Prince Endymion's arms. He had believed that the future of the world lay in her hands. It was supposed to be her who would bring a time of peace to the universe when the time came. But now that she was dead…. he hung his head and prayed that someone would save them.
Princess Serenity's body felt like it was on fire and ached everywhere. She tried to remember what had happened that would make her feel this way, and instantly remembered. She was inside that cloud, using the crystal to destroy it. Every limb had begun to protest, the crystal's power had began to wane. Sensing that it had she put all of her being into that final push, when she had felt an unknown power, or was it powers? Slam into her body, causing her to lose focus…and she slightly remembered that the crystal had shattered. That was it then. She was dead. But, somehow, she couldn't help but think that she wasn't. If this was death, than why did it hurt so much?
She finally opened her eyes, and instantly gasped. She was no longer on Earth, but she wasn't on the Moon either…well, in this time period. She looked up at the glistening Moon Kingdom palace. It was still standing. What exactly was going on here? She looked about her to find that she was laid out on the ground in one of the palace's many gardens. She was wearing the white gown she had been wearing the night the Moon had been attacked. The night she had died the first time.
Oh, crap, she couldn't help but think. She really had died. This was supposed to be her version of heaven. A time when she was the happiest. But if that was the case, then were was…
"I see your awake," a very familiar masculine voice said from above her. She looked up and straight into those deep azure blue eyes. But these were the warm loving eyes she remembered. Not the cold dark ones, she knew now. Prince Endymion lowered himself to the ground beside her, and smiled. "I didn't know how long you were going to be out. You took quite the beating, didn't you?" He asked her softly.
"Wait, you know what happened?" She asked.
"Yes, of course I do," he replied chuckling. "Because I have been watching all of this very closely, not like I had a choice in the matter since Endymion has me suppressed. But once I saw what happened…well, I had to come and see you. Endymion's too distraught right now to hold up the cage he has me in, so… Usagi-chan, I really need to ask you to forgive me for all that has happened over the last five years. If I had known who you were…" he trailed off, his head now in his hands.
But Usagi didn't notice this. She was more concerned with what he was talking about. Suppression, a cage…."Mamoru-chan?" She whispered her voice shaky. She couldn't believe that she was actually seeing him. She never thought that she would ever get the opportunity again. She flung herself into his arms, sending him reeling. His arms instantly surrounded her, like they had every time they had collided on her daily jaunts to school in the morning. Her arms tightened around him, not wanting to let go. "I can't believe it's really you!" She exclaimed looking down at him. His eyes were dancing with humor.
"You have a knack for knocking into me, you know that Odango Atama?" He asked a playful tinge in his voice. Usagi couldn't help but smile at the nickname. It had been too long since he had last called her that. She welcomed it, and didn't even scream at him for using it. She didn't have the heart to do so.
"Oh, Mamoru," she cried. "I missed you so much! But how did you…"
"Endymion is too overcome by grief to keep me locked away in his mind," he explained again. "So, I came to find you, even though I was hoping you could tell me where we are. Other than the old Moon Kingdom, of course."
"I actually don't know where we are either. I think, well, I think that I might be dead and this must be my version of heaven." She propped herself off of Mamoru so that way he could sit back up again. His eyes were on her, the playful glint gone. A look of pure misery now in his gaze.
"You are dead," he agreed. "I watched all of it happen. Endymion is still cradling your lifeless body and like I said, he's overcome with grief. Not that I blame him, even I started crying when I saw what had happened to you. But Usagi, I really don't believe that you are dead. You can't be, not after everything you went through."
"Trust me, Mamoru," Usagi replied her gaze far off. "I know what you mean. I have been through a lot. More than you know, really, but…I really think that this is it. There's no way that people can be brought back from the grave. Perhaps, my mother will reincarnate me again."
"There won't be another life for you to be reincarnated to, Usagi."
Confusion riddled her brow at the mention of this. "Why not?"
"After Endymion's power and Black Lady's power hit you, the world began to decay. As we speak, the world is dying. I'm not sure what happened, but…it's a horrible sight. I'm actually glad that you aren't around to see this…. hey, what do you think you're doing?" Usagi had stood up from the ground and was now marching over to a clearing in the garden. This was her heaven, she should be able to conjure things up at will. She conjured up a mirror and commanded it to show her Tokyo and her loved ones. After a few minutes the mirror cleared and showed her what she wanted to see. But as Usagi gazed into the mirror, she wished she hadn't seen it. Mamoru was right, the city was dying, she could see all the buildings beginning to decay and crumble to the earth. Her loved ones were huddled against each other in their own groups crying desperately. And Endymion…he was cradling her lifeless body and tears were dripping from his eyes.
"There has to be a way to stop this!" She exclaimed, feeling Mamoru behind her. "I can't just stand here and watch everything I fought for die!"
"There's nothing you can do, Usagi," Mamoru told her, regret evident in his voice. "You saw your body, you felt yourself die. Unless you know how to bring back yourself from the grave, you're stuck watching as your precious world dies." Mamoru hung his head. Usagi looked back at him desperately. She knew that he was right. She had felt herself die, even now, she was staring at her body being cradled in Endymion's arms. She was stuck here and couldn't do anything but watch helplessly as the world she had come to know and had saved so many times die.
For the first time since awakening in this heaven, she cried. Mamoru brought her closer to him, and let her cry into his chest. Offering what little comfort her could. Knowing that it would take a miracle for the world to be saved.
It seemed like hours had passed since all of this began, but in reality it had only been a few minutes. The world was still dying all around them, but Endymion seemed fixated on holding Sailor Moon. The group that surrounded them couldn't bare to watch the dark prince hold their lifeless princess any longer, but no one had any idea of how to break him away from her. Or to break it to him gently that Sailor Moon wouldn't be coming back. He had to let go. The Outer Senshi had no interest in telling Endymion off, Uranus, especially, believed that he should be left there to suffer. It was his fault that she was dead, after all. Their eyes were closed to block out these images of the world dying around them. It was too painful for them to watch as everything that they had come to know was turning to rubble.
At one point, the world began shaking again at such a ferocity that Venus and the others didn't know if it was save for them to be on top of the roof of a building. Let alone the highest building in Tokyo. But how were they supposed to move Endymion? He looked so lost in his own thoughts as he stared at the head of Sailor Moon. Venus, who had finally had enough, approached her leader carefully and shakily.
"Endymion, we have to move," she said. "This building could go down at any minute, and the second it does we'll all be dead. I know that you're going through a lot right now, but please, Serenity wouldn't have wanted you to die." He lifted his head at the mention of Serenity's name, and finally looked at someone for the first time. Venus stumbled back when she made eye contact with the prince. There were tear track stains on his face, and his eyes, which had been so cold and filled with darkness, were now just filled with misery.
"You think it matters to me what Serenity would have wanted?" He found himself asking Venus. "You think it matters, now that Serenity is dead? I don't care if she doesn't want me to die, because she's already dead. I will join her, because I can't live in a world where she doesn't exist. So, Venus, if you really want to get off of this building, I suggest that you go right on ahead. But you'll be doing so without me." He turned his attention back to Serenity's head. Venus was once again in the arms of Kunzite, who was doing all he could to comfort her. Even though he wanted to stride across that space and hull the prince up by his collar. He was supposed to protect Endymion at all costs, hearing him say that he was so willing to die, made him quake in anger. Endymion had had an opportunity at his happiness and he had done everything he could to push Serenity to the brink of her power. It was really his fault that the love of his life was dead, but that didn't mean that he had to put everyone's life in the path of danger.
Helios was the only one who wasn't too overcome with distraught at the site of what was going on. He was still praying that something would save them all from the destruction that was about to befall this world. Just as he was saying another prayer, three bright lights caught his attention. He opened his eyes and stared at the Outer Senshi who were glowing. He wasn't the only one who seemed to notice this. The Inner Senshi, the Shitennou, and even Endymion looked up to see what was going on.
"Uranus, Neptune, Pluto!" Helios exclaimed to get their attention. The three girls stepped away from each other and stared at the light that was emitting from all three of them, or to be more specific, their talismans. They each exchanged a look of shock and despair as they pulled out their talismans. Pluto lowered her Garnet Orb into her outstretched hand. Neptune pulled out her Deep Aqua Mirror, and Uranus unsheathed her Space Sword. The light was emitting from these objects.
"This can't be happening," Neptune said to the other three. "How can this be happening? She wasn't supposed to be called, not yet!"
"It's because of what is happening here," Pluto answered her. "Because Endymion and the others turned to Darkness, the whole track of the future has been thrown off. Now, the world is dying before it's time and we have to…"
"No, we can't, Pluto!" Uranus exclaimed. "If we summon her, that means that there is no future for this world. This world will die!"
"We don't have much of a choice, Uranus. The talismans have already begun resonating with each other. We have to summon her, and just have to hope that there might be a miracle to save us all."
"Excuse me," Endymion's deep voice shot out. The three Outer Senshi looked to him in surprise, as did the entire group. He was standing and walking over to them. "What is going on? Why are these objects emitting such a bright light and what are you three talking about?"
"Prince Endymion, do you not remember us from the Silver Millennium?" Pluto asked him.
"Of course I do," he retorted. "But what does that have to do with this?"
"We are the keeper of the three talismans," Uranus answered. "The three talismans when brought together and when they begin emitting this light will resonate with each other and summon her. The one who brings destruction to the planets and ultimately wipes them out."
"So, what you're saying is that…"
"This world is about to be destroyed." The Inner Senshi gasped, their hands covering their mouths, and the tears that they had been crying dried on their skin. The Shitennou were also taken aback by this information. The world was really coming to an end. Endymion was the only one who stood there calmly. It didn't matter to him that they were all about to die. He wanted to die. He no longer had any reason to keep on living, now that Serenity was dead.
"You can't stop this?" Venus asked.
"No, once the talismans begin to resonate, like they are now, we have to summon her," Pluto replied. "It's the only way. The only thing we can do now is pray for a miracle to happen." The three looked at each other and nodded. They pointed their talismans up to the sky and watched as the light that had been emitting from them joined together. The light then began to swirl in the sky, getting brighter with each turn. Everyone watched their breath caught in their throats, as something began to be lowered from this light. They all could clearly make out a body, which was lying horizontally, as if she was already dead. The light disappeared, and the body moved. The woman who had been enshrouded in the light was now standing up, the symbol of the planet Saturn blazing on her forehead. Her eyes opened and she stood upright, her hand holding what looked to be a magnificent glaive.
The woman had shoulder length black hair, and had purple eyes that put Mars's to shame. Her tiara held a purple jewel that matched her eyes, but the rest of her outfit stunned everyone. Her earrings weren't the studs that everyone was used to seeing; instead, they were in the shape of the planet Saturn and had purple crystals tear dropping off of them. Her purple choker held a crystal with many sharp points; this same crystal was also her brooch. Her purple Sailor fuku seemed to be shorter than the rest of the senshi's, and her knee-high lace up purple boots had a higher heel than Sailor Moon's.
"I am the journeyer from the valley of the dead with the blessings of Saturn, the planet of destruction, I am the Senshi of silence, Sailor Saturn," she said her voice dead serious and cold. She stared at all of them, but they said nothing in return. How could they when they knew the reason that she was here? "I feel that it has not been that long since I was last called upon…" The Outer Senshi already knew that she had been summoned when the Silver Millennium had fallen to the Dark Kingdom a thousand years ago, but everyone else just stared at the new senshi.
"What are you talking about?" Endymion asked, voicing everyone's question.
"She was last summoned during the time of the Silver Millennium," Pluto replied. "When it fell to the Dark Kingdom. All of you won't remember this, because you were already dead, but we had to watch as Sailor Saturn dropped her Silence Glaive and destroyed everything we knew and killed us."
"I am always an uninvited guest," Sailor Saturn continued as she walked around the roof examining the destruction that had already been dealt. "Several coincides piled up to warp the progress of events and at some point, history was taken off course." She dropped to the ground below. The others followed her, entranced by her words. She tossed around her glaive from hand to hand as she walked onwards and further into the streets. "Whether it was because Beryl and Metallia were also reborn on this planet, or because Endymion and the others turned to Darkness, a pathway between the Dark Kingdom and this world was opened. But this is only natural, we were all drawn here, because this is a chosen land." She indicated the world around them with her hands, before dropping them back to hold her glaive. She turned to face the group that had been following her.
"The fact that the power of the Silver Crystal, the Golden Crystal, and the Silver Crystal of the future has gathered here has commenced its descent into destruction, which was all predestined. Now that I have been awakened, I must drop this Silence Glaive."
The Silence Glaive, the scythe of the goddess of destruction, Neptune thought to herself.
Dropping that means that everything will be destroyed, Pluto thought. "Sailor Saturn!" She found herself exclaiming, her voice almost desperate.
"This can't be!" Uranus exclaimed. Why is this our fate? "Stop Saturn!"
Venus held a hand to her mouth as Sailor Saturn closed her eyes. Then does this mean that we have no future? Saturn threw her hand and her glaive into the air and called out,
"Death Reborn Revolution!" Ribbons began encircling the girl as everyone watched. The ribbons than shot out and began to encircle everything around them. A bright flash of energy emitted and the buildings that had begun to crumble before now began to split in two and began to fall faster, including the building that Sailor Moon's body had been left on. Endymion turned, realizing this, moments too late. He watched in horror as the building collapsed in on itself. He held a hand to his mouth in disbelief feeling as if a part of him was missing.
It's the end! Nothing will stop it! The Silence Glaive will drop and the world will end. Sailor Moon! Uranus found herself thinking in her head. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. She had guaranteed Serena that much. They were supposed to kick some major ass.
"Beautiful…this suffering at the moment of destruction," they heard Sailor Saturn mutter. Everyone had dropped to their knees, knowing that there was nothing they could do to stop this. The world was going to end. The only person who could have stopped this, was Sailor Moon, but she was dead, there was nothing to be done. They could only watch in horror and wait for their final moment of life.
As they were all too focused on their thoughts, no one, except Helios, seemed to notice a darkness hovering above the city. Helios was staring at it, wondering what it could possibly be. From what he had heard, Sailor Moon had been able to destroy the cloud that Endymion had created, twice. So what was this? Helios wasn't the only one who saw this darkness, Sailor Saturn realized what it was too. She ran and jumped up, with her glaive and pierced the thing. If Helios hadn't been mistaken, he thought he heard it groan, as if it were in pain. He finally realized what the darkness was. He looked quickly to Endymion, the Inner Senshi, and the Generals, but realized that there was no change in them. They were still influenced by the Darkness, even though Queen Metallia was about to be destroyed.
As Helios stared at the Dark Kingdom's entity, a blinding white light drew everyone's attention out of his or her thoughts. Hadn't there been enough light shows for one day, now what was this one about? Endymion, especially, was very curious to see what was going on, when he realized that the light was coming from the ruins of where Sailor Moon's body was. It couldn't be…. He found himself thinking. But the light grew brighter and brighter, until finally they saw her floating as if in mid air. Her eyes were still closed, as the light took her higher. Endymion felt his mouth open in shock. Could it be possible?
Sailor Moon's eyes fluttered open and she found herself kneeling in a pile of rubble. She looked around her and realized that she had been removed from her heaven. She was alive again, but not for long if the destruction continued. Everyone gasped as they saw their princess alive.
"Sailor Moon!"
"Now! The end is near!" A voice exclaimed from above Sailor Moon. She looked up and was shocked to see a woman who was dressed as a Sailor Senshi in the air, holding down what looked to be another black cloud. But she realized that it wasn't, for she saw it move! If it wasn't a black cloud then what...? A memory from the last day of the Moon Kingdom filtered through her memory. It was a dark shadow, much like the one she was staring at now, that covered up the skyline. The shadow was Queen Metallia, the true queen of the Dark Kingdom. "I, Sailor Saturn, the guide to death, will lead you to the world of silence and nothingness!"
"Saturn?" Moon exclaimed in shock. When had she been summoned? How was she going to destroy Queen Metallia? Moon searched the skies and saw something that looked like a black hole. Surely Saturn didn't mean to be sucked into that thing with Queen Metallia. "Saturn, you can't!" She found herself yelling up at the sky.
Saturn who now held the Silence Glaive parallel to her body smiled down at the senshi of the Moon, "Do not be distraught! Always with the end, comes hope and rebirth. You are the one who brings that, Sailor Moon."
"Sailor Saturn…"
"Sailor Moon, because you released your whole power and the power of the Silver Crystal, this world can be saved. I am the Senshi who brings the death and destruction necessary for rebirth. This land is destined to become Crystal Tokyo. Its sacred power is your ally." She smiled again at Sailor Moon who could only watch in distress. "Sailor Pluto!" She called. Pluto looked up. "Close forever this road to another dimension."
"Saturn, no!"
"Quickly!"
"My Father Chronos, guardian of time and space, lend me your power! Close the breached taboo door! Dark Doom Close!" She exclaimed and brought her garnet rod down. A door seemed to appear out of nowhere, and began sucking in Queen Metallia, the black hole, and Sailor Saturn. As soon as everything was inside the door closed and disappeared, taking Sailor Saturn's smiling face with it. "Saturn!" Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter found themselves exclaiming. Endymion looked back at the Inner Senshi surprised by their sudden outburst at the loss of the scout of destruction. They shouldn't be able to feel this emotion, unless…he looked closer and realized that the Dark power that had been over them, controlling them, was gone. How had they broken the brainwash?
Sailor Moon's head was tilted still looking up to the sky where Saturn had been. Tears were silently running down her cheeks as she thought about what Saturn had said to her. "Always with the end, comes hope and rebirth." Unconsciously, she felt her sailor fuku disappear and her dress that she wore as Princess Serenity appear. The staff that she had held while defeating the cloud reappeared in her hands. It was now longer, and the crystal was restored. She stood and began channeling her crystal's power again to rebuild everything. Everyone silently watched her, in awe.
"The people…the buildings…are being reborn…" Kunzite trailed off in absolute awe. Venus looked towards him and realized that the Darkness he had was gone. In fact, as she turned her gaze to the rest of the Shitennou she realized that they were no longer being controlled by the Darkness as well. They had all broken free of the spell, except for Endymion who was now staring greedily again at Serenity. The Outer Senshi groaned at the look that crossed his face. Hadn't he learned anything from Serenity's death?
The light that was coming from Serenity's staff soon began to fade, as everything returned to normal. The dark sky was no more, as the sun shone brightly. Serenity looked over her handiwork and then gently jumped down to the ground below. Once she landed, she looked towards the group, knowing that she still had one more task to complete. She just hoped that she had the strength to accomplish it. As soon as Serenity landed, the Outer Senshi, and the Inner Senshi ran over to her, calling her name.
"Serenity!" The Outer Senshi got there first and hugged their princess tightly. Once they broke away they stared in wonder at the Inner Senshi. Serenity was the first to make a move towards the girls. She cautiously stepped forward to meet them.
"Princess Serenity, please, it's really us," Venus said. "I promise, we are no longer controlled by the Darkness." Serenity stared at each and every one of them, but she didn't sense any Darkness lingering within them. They were her old friends, they were on the side of Light once again. She rushed into their embrace and was quickly hugged by all of them at once as they cried their apologies for betraying her. The Outer Senshi and the Shitennou all watched this with mild amusement, while Endymion stood by himself, the Darkness still controlling him. As if sensing this, Serenity looked up from the group hug she was receiving and met his lustful and greedy stare. She didn't have to look at him long to know that he was still being controlled by Darkness. Whatever had broken the spell on her Senshi and the Generals, hadn't worked on him.
"Welcome back from the dead, Serenity," he said his arms crossed over his chest. He couldn't believe his situation. How had he lost everything that he had worked for over the last four years? What the hell had happened?
"It's good to be back, Endymion," she replied, the arms of the Inner Senshi still around her. She motioned for them to let her go as she strode forward to meet Endymion halfway. They stood only a few feet away from each other. "I feel like we still have some unfinished business to attend to, or would you rather make this easy on me considering that the Inner Senshi and your Shitennou have turned back to Light?"
"I won't be making this easy on you, Serenity," he said gruffly. "My Shitennou and the Inner Senshi have turned back to the side of Light, but I guarantee that it won't be for long. I turned them once, I can turn them again, but first, my love, I believe I'll turn you to the Darkness. For you see, I learned something while you were dead. I can't live without you, and I really don't want to turn back to the Light."
"Hm…so we've reached an impasse then, my prince. For you see, I don't want to turn to Darkness, as you very well know. So I believe, then, we are right back where we started before I died."
"Yes, I believe you're right," Endymion said feeling the power crackling at his fingertips again. It was back to the battle that they had begun to fight what seemed like a day ago, but was really only hours. And as usual, he did not have any intentions of losing or of playing fairly. "Let's continue this war of ours, shall we?"
"I don't think so, because to be frank, I am sick of all this fighting. We both seem to come to the same conclusion. You can't live without me and I can't live without you. You won't turn to the Light, I won't turn to the Darkness."
"If that's how you really feel, Serenity, then why don't you just surrender?"
Serenity began to laugh, "You'd really like that, wouldn't you, Endymion? But tell me something, do you remember that last day of the Moon Kingdom? Do you remember exactly what happened?"
"Yes, of course I do," Endymion replied a little confused by the question she was asking. "Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom overturned the king and queen of the Earth and began their assault on the Moon. I had caught word of it and came as soon as I could to protect you. When I found you, Beryl had gotten there first and was about to attack when I interceded. Some words were exchanged and then Beryl threw an energy ball at us. I threw you out of the way and took the full blunt of it."
"But of course that's all you remember," Serenity said. "Because you died soon afterwards. What you don't know is how I died." Everyone stared at her, especially the Outer Senshi and the Inner Senshi who did know how Serenity had died. What exactly was she trying to get at by telling Endymion this?
"What do you mean, how you died?" Endymion asked confused. "I thought you died when Beryl destroyed the Moon Kingdom?"
"No, that is not how I died. You see, I was so distraught over your death that I took your sword and plunged it directly into my chest," Serenity solemnly said. "Because like you said before, Endymion, I couldn't live without you and besides the world was going to hell anyway." A silence loomed over the both of them. Endymion was thinking of what she had just told him. What was the point of telling him about how she died on the Moon? It didn't matter now, this was a different time and things were going to end differently then they did back then. He was sure of it. Serenity on the other hand was thinking forlornly about what she was going to do. She didn't want things to end like this, but what else could she do? Obviously her death had done nothing to change Endymion's mind. He was too engulfed in Darkness now. There was nothing that she could do to save him, except for this. She couldn't stand to see him like this anymore. It made her heart ache worse than ever before.
"Why bring this up, Serenity?" He found himself asking out loud.
"Because it's funny how history sometimes repeats itself." She stated before calling out with her mind, "Sword of the Moon who protects the princess, come to my hand." The Inner Senshi froze as they recognized the sword that they had found when they first journeyed to the Moon appeared in the princess's hand. What was she doing with it? She couldn't possibly be thinking of…they all trailed off, because they knew especially with the words that she had said, what she was intending on doing.
"Princess Serenity, no, you can't do this!" They all exclaimed. But it was too late for she was running directly at Endymion, the sword in hand. Endymion was still confused and got even more confused when he saw Serenity running towards him with a sword in her hand. What was she doing? As she neared him, the sword poised to strike, he tried to stop her. But the sword faltered at the last second because they had caught each other's eyes. His surprised look and her tear stained face. There was something within their gazes that brought them closer, she reached up, cupping his face as their lips met briefly to share a kiss. But it ended quickly, as she brought the sword down, cutting into his back and piercing through his abdomen before it wedged into her chest. Endymion, you are my first love, my only love. Even if we're reborn in another life, we'll find each other and then we'll fall in love again…. she found herself thinking before she was lost to blackness.
She felt like there was a million pounds sitting on her chest. There was no way that she was dead, because if she were she wouldn't be feeling like this. With a great regret she opened her eyes, and was faced with seven pairs of eyes staring down at her. She sat up quickly, the weight on her chest, temporarily forgotten and stared at the seven Senshi around her. Everything that had happened, her plunging the sword into Endymion and herself, that hadn't been a dream…had it?
"What happened?" She found herself asking.
"Well, to put it mildly, you killed yourself again," Minako answered her.
"You also killed Endymion," Rei chimed in.
"So I was right, that wasn't a dream."
"No, it definitely wasn't," Ami whispered. "But it sent all of us into a frenzy, trying to figure out if the two of you were still alive, and then…there was a bright flash of light again. When the light cleared, both of your wounds were gone, no blood no nothing. You had been healed."
"The Silver Crystal," Usagi whispered and the others nodded their heads.
"Sere," Haruka said from beside her. "Why did you try to kill yourself again?"
"Because, I couldn't stand to fight him anymore and I didn't want to see him so engulfed in the Darkness," Usagi replied looking away. "It was killing me, I wanted Mamoru back. You don't know this, but when I died the first time, I saw him again. We talked and we also watched as the world began to die. But I don't quite remember what happened after that, there was a flash of light and then I was opening my eyes to the destruction." She shook her head. "Besides, I couldn't think of anything else to do that would possibly heal him." She put her head on her knees. Her thoughts drifting away to the kiss that they had shared before she plunged the sword into the both of them. It had been different from the ones that they had shared when he was Endymion. It was more gentle and sweet, there was no lust or possession. It had been pure, like Mamoru had been there instead of the evil Endymion. She sighed and then looked up again, questions filling her head.
"What happened to the Shitennou?"
"That's who you're asking about?" Makoto found herself chuckling. "Shouldn't you be asking what happened to Endymion?"
"I'm assuming that once he was healed he went back to the Dark Kingdom," Usagi replied looking at the seven of them. They all exchanged glances and shook their heads. "What? Guys, come on, what aren't you telling me?"
"Usagi, we can't answer that question for you," Michiru said. "However, I suggest that you go to Mamoru's apartment if you really want to know what happened to him." Usagi frowned and gently swung her legs off of her bed and stood. She slipped on some shoes and began walking to the door of her room. The seven girls followed behind her, until she reached the front door.
"You guys aren't coming with me?"
"No, we're going to stay here," they replied. "Now, go." They waved good-bye to her. She opened the door and stepped outside, closing it behind her she began to walk down the sidewalk. What had they meant if you want to know what happened to him we suggest you go to his apartment. Had he not gone back to the Dark Kingdom? Had he somehow been turned back to the Light? With that last thought, Usagi began to run. She had to get to Mamoru's apartment as fast as she could.
When she arrived at Mamoru's door, she found herself too afraid to knock. What if she was wrong? What if Mamoru hadn't turned back to the Light and all she was going to find was an empty apartment? She bit her lip, this was foolish she had nothing to lose by knocking on that door. She raised her hand and knocked three times. She waited not realizing that she was holding her breath. The door swung open and she was greeted with a wondrous sight. Even though a part of her couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"M-Mamoru?" She stuttered.
"Yes, it's me, Usagi," he replied a smile on his face. He watched as the blonde walked cautiously forward before enveloping her in his arms. He held her as close as he possibly could. It had been too long since he last was able to do this. She squeezed him right back, knowing the feeling. She was concentrating trying to find out if there was any Darkness within him, but she found nothing. There was no Darkness within him. Mamoru was back, her Mamoru. But wait…how?
"Wait, I don't understand," she said pulling away from him. "How did you come back from the Darkness?"
"The light that the Senshi and the Shitennou saw was the light of the Silver Crystal. It healed me and cleansed me of all the Darkness that was within me. Thank you, Usagi for not giving up on me. Even though I have to say, watching you die twice was quite painful for me to go through. Don't you ever put me through something like that again."
"Okay," she smiled widely. "I won't." He brought her back into a hug, and after awhile he tilted her head towards his and captured her lips with his own. Usagi couldn't help but smile into this kiss. It was just like the one that they had shared before she had killed them. Sweet and gentle. Her Mamoru was back. They broke apart and smiled at each other. They could have spent days just wrapped in each other's arms, but Usagi knew that she had to get back to her friends. They had years to catch up on.
"I better go," Usagi whispered. "The others are waiting for me to come back and I still have questions for all of them."
"Okay," he said with a great reluctance. "But just as long as I get to see you again soon. I feel like we have a lot of time to catch up on."
"Of course, you will!" She exclaimed a smile on her lips. She turned and walked out the door, but before she stepped onto the elevator she waved at him. As soon as the doors shut, Mamoru closed the door to his apartment and stood up against it. His face was set in concentration as he thought. He knew he shouldn't have lied to her, but how else was this supposed to work? He needed time to think of a new plan, and with this lie he would get that time. A crackle of energy flaunted off his fingertips as he smiled and thought about a certain blonde and how she would be his very soon.
THE END…for now…
We're running with the shadows of the night
So baby take my hand it will be all right
Surrender all your dreams to me tonight
They'll come true in the end
And now the hands of time are standing still
Midnight angel won't you say you will
~Shadows of the Night ~Pat Benetar
Author's Notes: Oh, crap. I can't believe I just wrote that ending, but then again I did decide that I would figure out how this story would end as I was writing the final chapter, and apparently that was it. I want to thank everyone again for reviewing and reading this story, and I have to say that if you got confused about what happened, I will be posting a final author's note that will explain everything, so please stay tuned for that. Anyway, please review to let me know what you thought of the ending!