Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all its components are the property of Naoko Takeuchi. Apollo is my own creation, and if you wish to use her, please ask me first.

Notes: I think that this story explains Apollo pretty well, but in case you need to know more about her, I will later upload an old fanfic that introduces her as a character in the Sailor Moon universe. Also, I have taken some liberties with everyone's personalities, which I excuse by saying that everything takes place during the first incarnation of all the senshi, so I assumed they would be at least slightly different (hopefully more mature, as I have made them).

REFRACT

Epilogue

For the first time in her life, Ami was sleeping with a big smile on her face. Splayed out in the bed on her stomach, her short blue hair and naked white skin provided a contrast to the black of the comforter. Her right hand was draped lazily over the depressed portion of the pillow on which Apollo had been resting her head mere minutes ago.

Apollo stood at the side of the bed, smirking down at the sight. Tilting her head to the side in a moment of contemplation, Apollo continued taking in the sight of her very naked lover twitching in her sleep until she decided it was time to wake Ami from her reveries. Leaning forward, Apollo gently slapped Ami's exposed buttock, eliciting a shark intake of breath from Ami, but the Mercurian did not wake. Grinning, Apollo shook her head and again slapped Ami's buttock, a little harder this time, and she saw Ami's eyes flutter open.

"Mmm, that feels good…"

"It's time to get up."

Ami buried her face back in her pillow. "Bah…"

Apollo reached down to Ami's right hand and started tracing a line from the middle finger down to Ami's toes as she spoke, never breaking eye contact with her lover after she had looked up. "It's time for training, Ami."

Feeling a slight tingle from hearing Apollo use her name, Ami nevertheless pouted, "Today? Of all days, Apollo, the day after a gala?" She paused, a light smirk playing along her lips. "And after you tired me out so?"

"If I can be awake, so can you! No one sleeps on my watch!" With an agility borne from years of combat training and athletics, Apollo vaulted herself into the bed on top of Ami, straddled her back, and started tickling the blue-haired princess mercilessly, the sound of laughter filling the bedchamber for the first time in over a month…

Author's final notes

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read my story, and I'd like to especially thank those who took the time to review any part of the story. I was glad to see that people approved of my original character, Apollo, and of this little story of mine that I started on a whim and ended 35 pages later, after an interstate apartment move and the end of college. I normally never finish anything once I start writing it, but knowing that someone was taking the time to read my story really motivated me to continue with it. So: THANK YOU!

I want to address for a moment how I portrayed Michiru, because I think that I made her out to be far worse than she is in the series. The thing is, I believe that Michiru is capable of being incredibly cruel, as evidenced by some of the condescending ways in which she treats the Inners. However, I think that quite a bit of her inner demons are the result of her being saddled with a fate she didn't want--much like Apollo. She's actually one of my favorite characters (as are the other Outers), mostly because I consider her incredibly enigmatic and complex.

As for Ami, she's my favorite of the Inners, although I think (as someone commented on in a review) that many people grossly underestimate her. That's why I wanted to put her in a stressful situation and push her until she finally exploded; out of all the senshi, I really do believe that she has the most potential to grow as a character and exhibit a farther range and variety of emotions. All she needed was for someone to make her open up.

So, this is the end of "Refract," but I am writing a sequel to it entitled "Twilight." That story will center on all the senshi and will actually be mature in content--in language, sexuality, and violence. It'll basically center on the time right before Beryl's attack of the Moon, and I hope to have longer chapters with a lot more going on. Look for it soon.

Again, thanks for reading!