A/N: My last chapter before the epilogue. I'm so glad that you have all given me such support for this story and enjoy it so much. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.
For a moment Usagi stood her ground, unable to move a muscle. Her shock was soon overcome by her joy as she threw her arms around his neck, pressing herself to him. Duo held her close, breathing in the scent of her hair and skin. He's missed her so much he couldn't begin to describe it.
"I'm so sorry Usagi. It took me so much longer than I had planned." She pulled away for a minute, staring him in the eyes.
"Why? Where did you go?" Usagi hit his arm as she questioned him. She was furious with him but her joy to have him back overrode that anger. Duo took her by the arms slouching slightly so that they were eye to eye.
"I had to know Usagi, I had to know why I did what I did. Whether or not my love for you was that strong or if it had just been revenge that had driven me. I needed to understand what had been paining me for so long." By now she had tears in her eyes and couldn't look up at him.
"Did you find your answers?" Duo smiled brightly before kissing her forehead and pulling her into his embrace.
"Yes, I did." Sniffling she looked up at him, frightened yet eager to hear what they were.
"What were they?" Duo's face became tender with love as he held her face with his bare hand, stroking her cheek.
"That I love you more than anything in this universe. It was my love for you that drove me to find you, and my thirst for revenge to kill the one who had pained you so. When I realized it was me, I thought the best way to solve it was to never return. By doing that however, I'd only be hurting you more. It wasn't until I realized that being with you was all that mattered that I came back. No matter what the past is we have our futures ahead of us. For once we can live the lives of normal people. We can settle down, have a family and live happily ever after." Usagi smiled.
"So you're going to stay now?" Duo rested his forehead upon hers.
"If you'll let me." Reaching up she embraced him again, whispering in his ear.
"Don't ever leave me again." Holding her in return he kissed her cheek before replying.
"Never again, odin lowe." (A/N: yes, Odin Lowe is the name of the man that was partnered with Hiiro as a young child. In Russian, odin lowe means 'my only love', yet in translation from its original language it loses the potency. It's like calling someone your soul mate basically.)
"Is the love fest over yet?" Together they turned to see Wufei huffing and puffing about the situation with his arms crossed. Quatre and Trowa were smiling, glad to see the happy reunion. Hiiro remained stoic, yet in his eyes she could tell he was happy for her. Before she could reply Duo grabbed her and kissed her deeply, bending her over backwards like the men in romantic movies did. Usagi couldn't help the leg that went up in the air for balance, nor the giggle that escaped her as she heard Wufei's disgusted protests. When he righted her again, he placed his arm around her waist, holding her close.
"Now we are Wu-man." Wufei blanched for a minute. Walking up to Duo he scowled. With one swift movement he punched Duo in the arm, causing him to wince. Yet the next moment he had the young man in an embrace, his eyes tightly shut.
"Ever do that again and I'll be forced to kill you Maxwell." Duo smiled, hugging his friend in return. Wufei had his own ways of showing affection, and it meant a lot that the friendship wasn't one sided. When the young men pulled apart Wufei furiously wiped his face while Duo chuckled. Patting his friend's back he rested a hand on his shoulder. In the brief silence a loud rumbling chorus could be heard. Usagi and Duo looked at one another, smiling. Turning to Quatre Duo placed a hand behind his head as he scratched it embarrassedly.
"Uh, Q-man? Do you have any food at the house?" Quatre grinned.
"With you and Usagi I've learned to be stocked all the time." The group laughed heartily as everyone began to board the snowmobiles. Trowa paired up with Hiiro for the ride home as to let Usagi ride with Duo. Trowa had to admit it was good seeing them together again.
Lunch went by fairly quickly. They were all tired from playing in the snow. When they'd reached the house they'd had a snowball fight before going in for lunch. The fight had lasted for two hours with no certain victor. After eating they had all turned in to their bedrooms to nap for an hour or so. That night they wanted to go out to celebrate the return of their friend.
As Usagi lay down on her bed, her curtains drawn to keep the light out, she began to think. Duo was back, he had returned to her. Her heart ached for some reason though. Whether it be in shock from having him back or pain for not having a detailed reason for his absence she wasn't sure. Shutting her eyes she tried to doze off. Her body ached from playing. Her leg was sore still and she slightly feared she might have overexerted herself. The pain in her chest was also quite intense, right behind the plate they'd put to keep her ribs aligned. She'd found out some time after her operations that her heart had been severely damaged by the blow and she would most likely never recover from it. Breathing deeply she tried to still the pain, physical and emotional.
"Usagi?" The soft voice made her open her eyes, quite wearily too.
"Come in." She was surprised at how much effort it took to speak now. The figure in her doorway moved away from the light and towards her bed, shutting the door behind them. She knew it was Duo the moment he had spoken. She could never forget his voice. He slowly lay next to her, wrapping his arms around her. Usagi went willingly, breathing in the soft yet spicy scent that was him.
"Are you okay?" He questioned her after a moment of her ragged breathing, looking down upon her with worry. Nodding slightly she smiled up at him.
"I'm still kind of weak." She saw Duo's eyes lose their warmth immediately.
"I'm sorry. Usagi, I'm so sorry." Holding her closer he held back his tears. "It's my fault you're like this." Smiling softly she looked him in the eye, placing a finger over his lips.
"It's because of you we're all alive. I wouldn't have had the strength to defeat Chaos on my own. It's my love for you that has kept me alive." His smile was watery as he kissed her chastely.
"I was afraid you'd never love me again. I had to know, it's why I came back. I love you so much Usagi, you'll never know." She smiled in return.
"Yes, I do know. Because it's the same love I hold for you. It's the love that has kept me alive, that has given me hope, that makes me smile." They shared one last kiss before dozing off into blissful sleep in one another's embrace.
"Attention." Duo stood quite nervously, tapping his glass gently to get the attention of those at his table. Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru had come back to Earth for the weekend to spend some time with Duo before returning to their posts. They sat respectively next to their 'dates' as they looked at Duo. He stood somewhere near the center of the table, looking expectantly at him. Duo glanced briefly at Trowa, Artemis and Hiiro before clearing his throat.
"I just want to say how great it is to be back, and to be welcomed so warmly by those who mean the most to me." They all smiled at him. "I've waited millennia for this moment, and there's no time like the present to fulfill it. So with you, my closest and dearest friends, as my witnesses-." He paused for a minute getting on one knee next to Usagi. "I want to ask Usagi's hand in marriage."
Duo opened a small, black velvet box to reveal a ring of silver. The stone in the center was small and uniquely cut, glittering with an almost pinkish light. Usagi looked at him in utter shock when she saw it. So this is what had taken so long. This is what he'd been searching for. Throwing her arms around his neck she smiled through her tears.
"Yes, of course I'll marry you!" When she pulled away she allowed Duo to slip the ring on her finger, feeling a surge of energy flow through her body as the silver made contact with her skin. "Where did you get this?" Duo smiled softly, everyone around them seeming to disappear.
"Setsuna helped. She allowed me to use the time gates to return to the moon kingdom. After talking with your mother at the end of her reign, she allowed me to take a small piece of the crystal. It won't enable you to be a Senshi or the Princess, but I thought you might want to remember all of it." With a smile filled with tears she kissed him. Cheers broke out from their friends and soon the other people in the restaurant. Pulling away they touched foreheads, still in one another's embrace.
"I love you Usagi."
"I love you too Duo." With a smile they kissed once more, sealing the fate that was their future.