Hello everyone,
I hope you've all had a great day.
I've been running around all day, grocery shopping and cleaning the apartment; two of our best friends are coming to town tomorrow morning and I'm so excited.
So here you are. The last chapter of "The eyes long, the heart cries".
I have to say, I had a great time writing this story. The journey allowed me to experiment different writing styles and of course, trying to commit to a deadline. And I'm so glad I was able to upload every week. I hope you all had fun reading this story as much as I had fun writing it.
DarkenedHrt101, I'm so glad I got to meet you via this story. I can't begin to tell you how much your encouragement and your friendship means to me. You're witty, supportive and loving and I'm grateful for having you as a beta/friend:)
January 2020 has proved to be rather a not too cool month (Thank God is ending soon); and I'm heartbroken to have to have this opening in the last chapter of my story, but I know I have a lot of readers from the USA and I know how popular Kobe Bryant was. So I would like to take a moment and ask all of you to remember a legend, his daughter and the other victims of Sunday's tragedy. If you are a Kobe fan, peace to you and I hope 2020 ends better than it had started.
And the biggest thank you to you all: yes, you. You that have stick around to see this story shape, form and become what it has become. I love you and I want you to know how important you are to me.
TropicalRemix: You'll learn whatever you want in this chapter:) Cheers.
SailorMoon489: LOL. I hope your anxiety is in check:) This is the last of it. You'll learn everything you need. Have a great day and thank you for sticking around.
Zanahana: I sure hope you like the ending. It just came to me two nights ago lol. Let me know what you think. Kisses.
Tryntee13: Thank you for your kind words. and thank you for saying that I was able to connect all the dots. I was a little lost in the middle half:D Cheers. Thank you for reading the story.
DarkenedHrt101: Should I say it again? Are you writing? Are you? I don't hear no typing. :D:D Cheers babe. This one is for you.
: Next week is now:) Cheers.
Krys7: I just spent the morning with my nephew and omg, he is the cutest. I hope your well and the baby is well darling. And I hope you raise the little angel as a big time Sailor Moon fan:) Yes, this is the final chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know your thoughts. Cheers.
moon romance: LOOL. I felt my cliff-i powers are deteriorating:D So I powered up:D I hope you like the final chapter. Let me know your thoughts. Cheers.
Guest: I feel like you've just started to read this story:) So I'll just leave this for your here until you get to the finish line. Cheers.
Oloferne: The final chapter my friend. Thank you for your support and encouraging words. Cheers.
Oh and one more thing, I'm not sure how many of you have already read my very first story "Her Eyes", but if you have, you are in for a ride; because there is a little treat at the very last scene of this story for you:)
And if you haven't read that story...well then...you're gonna want to now:)
Enjoy.
Golak
"If you could change one thing, just one thing, what would it be?"
"I don't know…" he'd brought the goblet to his lips, "your attitude...maybe."
"Bastard." Venus rolled her eyes.
He raised his fair brows and took a sip of the wine, "Your language, then."
"Come on...don't get annoying," she flipped her hair over one shoulder and didn't miss the glint in his eyes, "I mean something profounder than that—"
"I don't think 'profounder' is a word—"
"Don't get all Mercury on me Kunzite," another roll of her eyes came, "come on. Something that only you can change."
Kunzite had thought deep and hard then, looking intently into the goblet; he swirled the remaining liquid, "I mean...I would've probably...changed the past—"
"...and changing the past is not an option." Venus had said right as he was forming the words. Kunzite had pursed his lips together, in that way that had her heart hammering against her ribcage.
"Okay...then," he'd looked out the window; the moon was shining high up, "so then, I would've changed the present," he'd looked at Venus, "I would've changed the present. For them," he put the goblet on the small table beside the bed and in a fluid movement, had her pinned under him, "and for us." His kiss burned like liquid fire.
Sailor Venus opened her eyes.
It took her a few moments to figure out where she was and what had happened.
She'd been running aimlessly, towards that ringing sound, in hopes that it would lead her to Chiba and hopefully, Sailor Moon. Then, the ringing had stopped, she had lost her footing and she'd fallen down; she'd been asleep even before she had hit the ground.
Luna and Artemis were curled up against her; as if they were in Minako's bed, all cozied and safe and not in the midst of a battle. Having lost sight of everyone and not even knowing if anyone had survived.
She sat up, careful as not to wake the cats, and glanced around.
A street was stretched in front of her; a street that undoubtedly belonged to Tokyo. She narrowed her eyes. It wasn't her street or one that she'd recognized.
It was narrow and treeless. The only green she could see belonged to a small shapeless window, farmed in an old rustic building that had been half destroyed. The corner wall had collapsed in a pile of dirt and brick and the door was smashed into a million pieces.
That evil, that force, whatever the fuck it was, had paid a visit to this neighboorhood.
Sailor Venus' eyes filled up with tears. God knew how many lives were lost.
Her senses told her that they were no longer in danger; though, the feeling of emptiness frightened her even more.
She left the cats to dream on; they were heroes tarped in a feline's body, true; but they were still tiny little kittens who couldn't, shouldn't, go through that much stress. They deserved to rest for a while.
She tiptoed around the street. Everything seemed like an ordinary Tokyo night, in a small and quiet residential neighborhood; but she knew better. Nothing was ordinary about this night; this night that seemed to be endless and without an escape.
She walked inside the destroyed building and took a deep breath. The smell of bourbon and sake wafted through her nose. She took a deep breath and embraced herself for what she would possibly find in there.
It'd been a bar, no doubt, if knocked down chairs and broken inventory was any indication.
She choked on a sob when her eyes landed on sneaker-clad feet from behind where the bar had been torn into shreds of wood. Fuck. Fuck.
She hesitated to go any further. She didn't think her heart could handle seeing innocent people lying in their own blood.
Get a hold of yourself. You were supposed to not let this happen. The least you could do is mourn them; they deserve to be mourned.
She moved forward and stepped on broken glass. She heard a more broken plea then.
Her feet moved on their own, "Is someone here? Can you hear me?"
Her heart drummed against her ribcage and the three seconds it took her to jump over all the wood and brick, she held her breath, not daring to hope.
Her tears fell in a straight line of agony down her face as she looked at the three bodies, all men, laying behind the bar. One man was leaning against the wall, with his head tilted to the side and Sailor Venus could see the line of blood around his head and ears. Another one, a middle-aged man in a suit, was lying on his front, with bloodied lips and open eyes. They never stood a chance and Sailor Venus hoped that at least they hadn't suffered.
Her eyes ventured to the third body. A younger man as it appeared from his physique. His head was turned away and she couldn't see his face. One of his arms was stretched towards the older man and she wondered, with sadness, if the two had been a father and a son. Where had that sound come from then?
She took a deep breath and decided to say a little prayer before leaving.
She brought her clasped hands towards her face, and she heard it again. A much clearer choking sound.
She focused on those bodies, not daring to hope yet again.
That stretched out arm moved. It moved and she saw it.
Thank God, she thought as she hurriedly moved towards the young man.
"What the…" she exclaimed, as she pushed away the fallen counter from him and turned him on his back.
"This can't be happening…" she cried and touched Hiro's face with trembling hands.
She didn't know where she was and a part of her wanted to stay in that blissful ignorance.
She kept her eyes closed and reminisced in the silence that seemed to hug her like a mother; she felt warm and safe.
"You have to open your eyes…"
Her eyes shot open and she pushed herself away from whoever was standing over her. But then she saw who that person was and couldn't scramble fast enough to lunge herself into their waiting arms.
It was surreal, being cradled against someone who no longer existed. But as Usagi sobbed and allowed her tears to stain the soft fabric of Queen Serenity's dress, she reflected about all the times her mother had hugged her the exact same way. She inhaled the smell that seemed forever nestled on the queen's pale skin and sobbed even harder.
"My precious, precious girl," the queen caressed her hair, "I have missed you so."
Usagi reminded herself that this was just a dream and that every second counted; she braved her heart and stilled her tears and looked up at her mother. A tiny smile came to her lips as she stared into the face that had been carved into her mind for centuries.
"People always said that you had my eyes Serenity," the queen touched her cheek, "but your smile always reminded me of your father's." Usagi leaned into her touch, "You've always been beautiful my little princess. But you are even more beautiful now...Usagi."
"I'm so sorry." The words rushed out even as she tried to hold them in, "I let you down...I let everyone down. I couldn't save them then, and I couldn't save them now...I just…" she hid her face into her hands and sobbed, "I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm stuck in a trance..I have been stuck in a trance and I can't seem to break through."
"I see some things never change," The queen's gentle laughter didn't put an end to Usagi's tears, "you've always been a little dramatic for your own good dear; it was both a blessing and a curse. I guess one can carry so much over a span of centuries."
Usagi dropped her hands when the queen squeezed her shoulder. She looked around them and winced when she was met with nothing but an empty space.
Where was Tuxedo Mask? What happened to them?
"When you were little, you used to sit in the middle of the garden and gaze at Earth for hours. Do you remember?"
She did.
"I would watch you, this tiny little thing, with your fluffy white dress and chubby arms; you would just sit there and hug your feet and just stare into the sky. And I always wondered what you were trying to see; what you saw."
The queen took a step back and closed her eyes for a moment, "When I first heard that you had been sneaking your way around your Senshi and Luna and visiting the planet, I knew we would soon lose you to its beauty. I just never imagined how that "beauty" would prevail."
Usagi felt her cheeks burn, with both embarrassment and the tingly feeling of reverie.
The queen chuckled and looked around, "you were always filled with so many emotions, good and healthy emotions...and love…" she looked back at Usagi, "and I knew loving me, loving the moon and loving the Senshi just wouldn't be enough for you. And you always poured your entirety when you loved."
Usagi tried to push the images of herself and Endymion away. She tried not to hear the sound of laughter, as it flitted through her mind; his laughter, her own, the Senshi's.
"Listen to me; that love, Usagi, is still deep inside of you. Loving that hard would follow you over the span of time; it's who you are. It's nestled into your heart and no matter how hard you try to avoid it, it'll shine through regardless." The queen took another step back, "Don't push it away dear. Embrace it, as it is trying to embrace you back. Love can conquer anything, Usagi. Even in the abyss of the unknown and uncertainty, it can shine brighter than the moon…" she did a subtle once over on Usagi and her eyes shined with tears, "you are a soldier of love and justice Usagi...princess. Justice can only be done if love had the chance to confront evil. And the evil here, Usagi...my Serenity… is what you allow it to be."
Usagi looked at the illusion of her mother with confusion. She tried to say something, but her lips were so dry she felt them slit on the corners. She tasted the metallic tang on her tongue.
"You can never change the past, and the future is outside of your reach. You can only control the present Usagi...my beloved daughter. And right now, you have control over the present that belongs to you all…"
It wasn't as if she vanished all of a sudden; it felt as if she'd never been there in the first place. And the heartache was too familiar to Usagi.
"The evil here is what you allow it to be." What did that mean, Usagi wondered, as she looked around with intent.
"You have control over everyone's present."
She closed her eyes and tried to focus on those words. She allowed her mind to reach deep into her heart and peeled layer after layer of all the feelings she had tucked in there, for a long time.
She took a deep breath and thought of her friends; green clashed with orange, blue with back and they all intertwined with the wind and waves of water; settled in the tick-tock of time.
Oh, how she loved them all. How she adored each one of them for their uniqueness, for their loyalty and above all, their friendships.
And then she thought of Mamoru. Images of him rolling his eyes at her at the arcade, of him whisking her away from danger; the way he'd looked at her that night in the bathroom of his friend's house; the way his eyes had narrowed at her in the pure ecstasy of lovemaking in their dreams. She remembered how he'd looked at her, in the midst of running and with complete confidence as he'd said those words: "I was born for you."
And now, as she stood alone in nothing but air and silence, she allowed her mind to finally catch up with her heart. Because all past regrets and heartaches be damned, she was born for him as well. And God only knew how much she loved him too.
A sensation began in her veins then. Something she had never felt before. It was gentle and warm, layered with waves of tranquility and she allowed it to overcome her.
Images that had once haunted her, suddenly transformed into what they should've been all along.
She saw her Senshi, as they gathered around her and gushed over the Earth as much as she did.
She saw Endymion, leaning against the cozy bunker he'd built for them and smiling as she ran towards him. But it wasn't Endymion that she ran to, no it was Mamoru, with his obnoxious gorgeous smile.
"You have control over the present."
And as the sensation spread, taking over her limbs, little by little, she felt a longing in her eyes vanish; and the ache in heart lessened, though she could still hear it cry.
And she wondered.
What if they all got a fresh start? What if the past could filter through their present, without all those secrets, all those regrets?
What if, she thought as the sensation grew, what if they could all embrace the past in a whole new light? With a whole new perspective?
The sensation burned her and she welcomed it. She closed her eyes and brought up her right hand.
She didn't have control over the past; no one did.
But she had the power to change the present.
He could hear water running in a distance. The sound of the breeze and a bird singing brought a smile to his lips. Thank God, we're out of that hellhole, he thought.
So when he opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness, something snapped in him.
He could still hear the water, the breeze, and the bird, but why the fuck couldn't he see anything. And where was Sailor Moon?
Mamoru stood up, much easier than he thought, and did a full circle on his spot.
Nothing.
But then he heard her calling him. It came like a whisper, a hush really and he had to close his eyes and push all his power into his ears. And oh God, what a melody her voice was.
A sensation began in his system like a caress of a gentle hand that touched his chest and stayed there. His hand came up to grip that feeling because he knew who that touch belonged to.
The sensation grew stronger, little by little, and he knew that it would overcome his senses soon.
He gripped Usagi's invisible hand even tighter.
He knew what this meant.
And he was ready.
Sailor Venus had managed to pull Hiro out of the destroyed building. She had to leave everyone else behind and she hated herself for it.
He was bruised and had a nasty cut over his left brow and probably suffered from a broken rib or two, but he would survive, Artemis had assured them. She didn't know when he had received his doctorship.
She had managed to bring him into a back alley, far away from that bar and laid him on the ground. She knew she needed to take him to a hospital, but for the life of her, she didn't know which way she needed to go.
He blinked his eyes open a couple of times, stuttering words Sailor Venus couldn't understand. He'd asked about Usagi once and though she had cursed her friend for revealing their identities to this man, she had assured him that she was fine and that she was the most powerful Senshi in the universe; so she was fine.
"If you say fine one more time…" Luna was clearly not happy about their predicament.
"What should we do?" Artemis was standing beside Hiro's figure, not caring that if he woke up and saw him talking he would probably faint again.
"I don't know…" Sailor Venus leaned against a wall opposite to where the cats were looking over Hiro and glared at the sky, "we can't figure out what this evil is...how can we destroy it when we don't know what the hell it is." she banged her head against the wall slowly and huffed.
"I just wish," she said after a few minutes, "I just wish someone could send us a sign, ya'know? Something...anything—"
"I never thought you a 'sign' kind of girl, Sailor V."
It was instantaneous, the way Sailor Venus leaped on her heels and threw herself over to where that voice had come from.
She stopped only a few millimeters from Sailor Pluto's smiling face.
"Pluto...what the hell...where have you been?" The blonde couldn't contain her happiness, and though the other woman was known for her apathies and failure to accept affection, she threw her arms around her and buried her blonde head into her chest.
Sailor Pluto had stood as still as a statue for a moment before she too hugged the blonde close; battles and bloodshed and horror had a way of changing everyone's behaviour.
"I can't do this alone, Pluto," Sailor Venus said in a muffled voice against the Senshi of time's chest, "I can't...I don't know...I'm…"
She had tried so hard to stay strong. She was a soldier damn it and crying and whining like a baby was just not an option for her. But as she ran towards nothing, apparently and arrived at nothing, she felt her courage and confidence slipping away.
"I'm running in a circle Pluto...I'm running around and I just can't get to her."
"Oh, my dear…" Pluto pulled away to look into her eyes, "you are far closer than you know. So much closer…"
Sailor Venus stared into the warrior's burgundy eyes and furrowed. What did she mean by that?
Now that she looked at her closer, Sailor Pluto didn't seem at all distressed or at least, a little uneasy. There was a measured calmness in her eyes that simultaneously allowed Sailor Venus to sigh in relief and have her blood frozen in her veins.
What was going on?
"Someone wise once told me that there's no justice if love never gets a chance to confront evil," the Senshi of time looked up at the sky and Sailor Venus followed her.
Darkness, with no moon and no star to fawn over.
"Without darkness, there can be no light," Sailor Pluto looked down and before her eyes settled on Sailor Venus, she looked over at where Hiro laid, his chest rising and falling in laboured breathing.
"There can be no love without evil...surely you know that Sailor Venus."
Sailor Venus looked at the Senshi of time with confusion and, let's face it, a little anger.
What the fuck was she talking about? What does that even mean? Who the fuck said that love could only exist alongside evil…
And then she inhaled sharply, as if someone had knocked the air out of her.
A garbled array of images bombarded her mind. Of their past lives and the lie that had destroyed all of them at the end.
Of this life and how every single jab at Chiba and cold shoulders and heartaches they had imposed on each other, all of them, had got them to where they are right now.
Disconnected, wounded...and all alone.
"There was never any evil." She whispered, her eyes never straying from those brilliant burgundy orbs.
"Only the great powers in the universe can alter time like this. Only they could power up to the point that the softest of touches, barest of winds could be this destructive."
"This thing...it lies inside of us—"
"Not inside," Sailor Pluto shook her head, "but it orbits around us all…"
Sailor Venus looked down at the cats, who'd been watching Sailor Pluto with open jaws.
"So what now?" She asked, even though deep down she already knew the answer.
The Senshi of time raised her eyes to the sky once more, "Only the greatest power can defeat what we've all started."
The sensation was soft and yet, brutally painful.
But it was a good pain, the kind that formed small beads of sweat on the back of her neck and licked it all at the same time; and Usagi welcomed it with open arms.
She summoned the power of the moon. She could feel her chest glowing. She could taste it on her tongue.
Her right hand, she felt it curled where it had always belonged; right over Mamoru's chest and she knew then, that he agreed with her decision.
She thought of her friends, one by one, and summoned all the remaining power they could lend to her. She knew she needed them and she was certain they knew that too.
Mercury, my beloved Ami-chan; may we meet the same way we met.
Mars, my feisty little fireball; I shall see that fire over and over again.
Jupiter, my loyal sweet fairy; I see you. I've always seen you.
Venus, my dearest Mina-chan; worlds and seas can come to an end and I will never stop loving you.
Uranus, Neptune, Pluto...I lost so many chances with you. But not again. Not ever.
The burning started from the tip of her toes and Usagi knew that it would soon travel up and up and up.
She knew...she had done this once before.
She thought of her parents and Shingo then; one day, she will tell them who she is. One day.
Then, she thought of Hiro and the longing threatened to burn her even more.
I shall forever cherish our moments together. You showed me so much. You allowed me so much and I am forever grateful for creating those memories with you. And deep down, she wished that she could hold on to those memories; a wistful smile came to her lips.
Mamoru…
"I was born to be with you...I was born for you."
And we shall be born for each other once more...my love.
The sensation reached her heart and she wished for their present to no longer suffer under the weight of their past.
She wished for their hearts to be more accepting and far more forgiving.
Then, the sensation stopped and with it, the whole world.
"Hino...you are a pain in my ass…"
"You're only saying that because you suck at this game...like, you really really suck at this game."
"Oh, you think you're better than me?" Makoto wailed, "bring it on voodoo girl."
Ami shook her head at the embarrassing display that were her friends and smiled up at Unazuki.
"What will it be Ami-chan? Oh, Minako-chan is here…"
Ami glared politely at Minako's grinning face, "You're late."
"I know, I know…" The blonde threw herself in the booth and gave Ami a sheepish look, "but I have a good reason for it."
"You met a cute guy…" Ami rolled her eyes and looked back at Unazuki who was giggling at their exchange.
"Well, for your information Ami-chan," Minako always emphasized on their names whenever she wanted to make a point, "I did meet a guy. But he's not just cute...he is hot…"
"What are we talking about?"
Minako looked at Usagi and raised a brow, "What the damn hell. What are you doing here? And how are you here?" she looked at her orange wristwatch, "didn't you have detention?"
Usagi rolled her eyes and slipped beside Ami, "for your information, I don't always have detention—"
"We go to the same school Usa-chan and I sit right behind you…"
The smaller blonde clicked her tongue, "Point taken. But I mean, I did my detention. You're just too late Mina-chan...besides…"
Just then, the arcade's sliding door opened and a tall figure walked in.
Usagi's eyes sparkled, the way that Minako and Ami shared a quick knowing glance and then rolled their eyes dramatically.
"Well, if it isn't the queen of all detentions of Tokyo," Mamoru tugged on one pigtail as Usagi stood up to greet him and dropped a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Mamo-chan…" the blonde whined; but Mamoru only smiled, the way he always did whenever he got under his girlfriend's skin.
"So, I need to study," he said and raised a brow at Usagi, "and you will study with me."
There were a few minutes of quarreling and eye batting and whining, but Mamoru was invincible when it came to Usagi's studying. And they all knew why. The only time Kenji-papa had verbally voiced his dismay at having his young princess dating an older college man was when Usagi's grades in the second quarter had dropped, "it's all his fault," Kenji-papa had shrilled, "he's distracting her. I told you, he's not good for her." And Mamoru did whatever he could to show how good he was for Usagi.
He finally ushered her to a booth on the other side of the arcade, with promises of ice cream beside their fountain and a kiss under the moon. Minako couldn't help but snort at that.
Ami got up to join Rei and Makoto. The two were still going head to head and throwing childish insults at one another.
Minako sat at the booth and sipped on Ami's half-empty milkshake.
There hadn't been any attacks for the past couple of weeks and the air was definitely lighter. And even though something, a certain thing nagged her every once in a while, she tried to keep her spirits high.
So what if visions came to her in her sleep? As long as they were all here, happy and healthy, it really didn't matter if she dreamed of endless arguments with Mamoru; or dreams about seeing Usagi heartbroken over him, and then him, over her. She tried so forget the dream she had, a few nights ago, about being all alone in an abyss; with no Senshi by her side. No Sailor Moon…
Minako glanced over at where the couple were sitting. Mamoru was explaining something to Usagi and she definitely wasn't listening; she seemed much more interested in his face and the glasses he wore.
The sliding door wooshed and someone entered.
Minako looked at the door and did an appreciative once over on the tall boy who'd just entered.
Hiro:
It didn't take long to locate where Mamoru was sitting at that booth. The guy was just too damn tall. His head was hung low on the table as he concentrated on something in front of him; and from time-to-time, he would write something down. On the other side of the booth, sat a young blonde who, by description, I assumed was his girlfriend. And man, did she have an obnoxious laugh. Her voice was so high-pitched that at first, I honestly thought I was going deaf. I mean really, a teenager? Women are a bit too much in general; teenage women are just impossible to handle. What does he see in her? I mean, besides her obvious youth and lack of experience in a relationship. Maybe those characteristics are endearing to him? Having a girl that you could shape and nurture in any way you want?
…
"Usako, meet my classmate, Hiro Kousei."
With the introduction, she finally lifted her head and after looking at Mamoru for a second, her eyes turned to meet mine.
And the world stopped.
The end.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters. All rights belong to the amazing Naoko Takeuchi. I only own the story I tell.