Title: Shipwrecked

Author: Lisa

Chapter: Epilogue

Rating: PG

Author's Notes:

Finally, I am very happy to present to you the last installment of "Shipwrecked!" Please let me know what you think. :)

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and the others don't belong to me, but this story does.

Usagi closed her eyes as the refreshingly cool breeze washed over her face and coated it with a fine sheen of ocean mist. The beginnings of fall were already evident, chasing away the final remnants of the oppressive summer heat that clung to the air with moist fingers. The blond drew in a long, deep breath and let it out slowly before turning to her equally quiet companion with a ready smile.

It was still hard to believe that over a year had passed since their traumatic ordeal…over a year of coping with the aftermath of an experience so profoundly life-changing that, every now and then, Usagi still jolted awake from nightmares. The flashes of panic were thankfully seldom now, but when she least expected it, she would be caught in anxious recollections of their struggle for survival getting off the ship and on that forsaken abandoned rock in the middle of nowhere. Those lingering fears, Usagi hoped, would dissipate in due course. Years from now, perhaps, they would only be unpleasant memories and not the cold-sweat inducing moments of agony that taunted her in the shadows.

As the ship glided smoothly through the near-black waters, Usagi and Mamoru stood in silent contemplation—an unlikely pair thrown together by fate, their bond cemented and continuously strengthened by their mutual suffering.

"Mamo-chan."

Mamoru returned Usagi's broad smile and slipped an arm decidedly around her slim shoulders, the storminess of his gaze matching the waves that crashed rhythmically against the ship.

"Hai, Usako?"

"Can you believe, after everything, we find ourselves back on another cruise ship?"

She giggled, but he knew her too well to take it at face value. He could hear the slight hesitation in her voice, the touch higher pitch that belied her underlying nervousness. And what reasonable person could blame her? When his father had first suggested that the couple take another trip across the ocean, Mamoru had written it off immediately as some lingering symptom of coma-induced confusion. After all, it had taken the man another full two weeks after his son had first visited him in the hospital to initially regain consciousness. After celebrating his awakening, the real work began. Mamoru had spent months helping his father recall and thoroughly dissect memories that had blurred and had patiently waited by his father's side during his frequent moments of disorientation and resulting frustration and anger. So when the older man had raised the idea of taking a second trip to make up for their "short-lived" one, Mamoru had chalked it up to a brief lapse of judgment.

Yet little by little, the notion became less absurd as Mamoru parsed through the pros and cons. Were they to live in fear of the ocean forever, he wondered. Wasn't it a well-established method of overcoming specific fears to face it head on? Once Mamoru had become convinced, it didn't take very long to persuade his angel to go with him. That was how they now found themselves in their current situation.

Mamoru shook his head to refocus his straying thoughts, realizing that Usagi was still waiting for some sort of response from him. He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.

"No…but I'm so glad you're here with me now."

The blond leaned into his warmth, drawing courage from the manner with which he clung to her and the strong beating of his heart through the thin fabric of his shirt.

"I'd go anywhere with you, Mamo-chan," she replied honestly, her voice barely above a whisper that was swiftly carried away by the early evening breeze. "I'd go anywhere, do anything, as long as I have you by my side. Always." Mamoru buried his face in her golden tresses, overwhelmed by her simple confession as he breathed in her heady scent that never failed to soothe him.

Over the past year, Mamoru had realized more and more that he just could not live without Usagi. Overdramatic as he realized that might sound to some, she had brought so much joy and purpose just by being near him, and the inexplicable emptiness that had plagued him for years before she waltzed into his life no longer gnawed at his soul with merciless persistence. Usagi made him…lighter somehow, and he thanked whatever higher power had deigned to bestow such brilliancy and kindness upon him. Now, in this very moment, he needed her more than he ever had.

"Usako…"

Usagi felt Mamoru's warmth leave her suddenly, and she started with surprise. She turned and immediately felt the blood rush all at once to her cheeks and pound in her ears until the world dimmed around her, and all she could see was her Mamoru, her protector, down on one knee before her. His eyes held such promise and unconditional devotion that Usagi feared she might faint from the exhilaration of it all. Despite all temptation to the contrary, she willed herself not to jump the poor man before he even opened his mouth.

Mamoru swallowed the sizeable lump that had magically formed in the base of his throat and regretted eating so much at the buffet for lunch. But he had to get through what he wanted to say—he needed to make her understand just how much she touched him. His trembling hands flipped open the small box to reveal a single diamond ring encased in a band of white gold, which caught the last rays of the setting sun with startlingly intensity.

"Usako…from the moment I laid eyes on you, despite what foolishness came out of my mouth, I felt something…something so powerful and magnetic that it scared me. I was hopelessly drawn to you, to your blue eyes as clear and infinite as the sky, to your easy smile and those two little dimples in your cheeks, to the way you always know what to say or do to make me feel at ease…I'm not expressing myself properly." Mamoru shook his head, frustrated at his senseless rambling. "You know I've never been too good with words. What I'm trying to say is…I love you, Usako. I love everything about you, every quirk, every gesture, every feature that makes you you. I love you because you make me want to be a better man, for you, for my family, for this world. From the beginning, you've given me all of yourself without hesitation and showed me such strength and selflessness. What I'm trying to say is…I don't want…I can't imagine a world where I don't wake up next to your smiling face every morning. I'm selfish, because I'm certain that you deserve someone who can give you much more than I can…but I want you all to myself. I want you, Usako. Today, tomorrow, for eternity."

By now, tears were flowing in two steady streams down Usagi's cheeks, and her chest heaved from the myriad emotions battling for dominance within her until she felt she might explode.

Mamoru drew in one final breath before concluding his speech. His heart was in his hands and presented before her, and he prayed that she did not crush it with one fell swoop.

"Marry me, Usako. Please. Say you'll marry me. Marry me, and together we can begin our first day of forever."

He didn't have time to blink before the blond launched herself into his arms, knocking him onto the wooden deck as she planted frantic kisses all over his face. "Mamo-chan, if you think you don't deserve me, then you're a fool." She kissed him before he could protest and silently thrilled as he slipped the elegant band onto its new home, a perfect fit for her slender hand.

"Forever started the day I met you."

So, it only took me about 1.5 decades to finish this…oops! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read, review and message me about this story over the years. This and "In the Dark" were always on my list to finish during my years-long hiatus from fanfiction, and I am happy to have finally seen it through. In terms of what's next, I may start another multi-chapter story or do some one-shots as fancy strikes – we'll see! Until then, take care, and I hope those of you who stuck with this story are finally able to get some closure (as I have).

This chapter was written and posted September 2016.