A/N: Written for the UsaMamo Week 2021 tumblr challenge. The theme for Day 6 was 'The end of the world'. I admit I went a bit abstract with the theme for this one, so sorry about that, but the theme DOES play into the story...eventually…
I'd like to thank SinJazz1327 for beta reading this for me! You can find her on Instagram under the same username!
Also check out everyone else's amazing contributions to UsaMamo week on tumblr via the 'UsaMamoWeek2021' tag.
Serenity and Endymion knew they were taking a risk. It was unwise for them to meet up without the cover of night. But Serenity couldn't help herself.
The golden sun. The blooming flowers. All the birds singing in the trees. Springtime on Earth was just too beautiful.
She leaned in for another kiss. Just as her eyes closed, she caught a glimpse of a stunning black and white bird streaking across the sky…
Serenity extended her arms, desperately trying to reach Endymion amidst the whirlwind as the palace crumbled all around them.
The silver pillars. The falling bodies. The cackle of Jadeite and the rest of Beryl's soldiers. Death had come to the Moon Kingdom.
She stretched further, her fingers mere inches from her beloved's. That was when a great ebony talon extended from the sky.
They screamed. Then… all was silent...
Mamoru was silent as he made his way down the street. He was heading towards Natsumi Ginga's apartment. In truth, he'd have preferred to avoid her. She was clearly interested in him but wasn't his type, and was way too pushy for anyone's liking.
Still, she had helped him out weeks ago when he'd needed to put on a play at the last minute. And since she'd fallen ill recently, he figured the least he could do was bring her some flowers and wish her better.
Nevertheless, he wasn't looking forward to her inevitably fawning over him, or the glares he was sure to get from that creepy brother of hers.
All in all, he didn't have very high hopes for today. In fact, he was downright pleased when a pair of magpies raced in his path, delaying him for a few more precious seconds.
He followed their flight all the way to a tree where they must've had a nest. Watching the pair together made something ache within Mamoru. For just a moment he felt profoundly empty.
It was her.
She was here.
She was alive.
With him.
And they were both… whole.
Prince Endymion's arms cradled her body. Mamoru Chiba's medical knowledge confirmed she was merely asleep. Tuxedo Mask called out her name.
"Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon!"
Her eyes fluttered open and she stared up at him, slightly confused, slightly hopeful.
"M-Mamoru…?"
"Sailor Moon…" His eyes wavered in soft realization. "No, my odango-atama, Tsukino Usagi."
She looked to be on the verge of tears.
"You got them back!" The tears flowed freely now, despite the joy upon her face. "You got your memories back!"
She practically leapt at him, wrapping him in a hug. It only took him a moment before he hugged her right back. Something warm welled up within him.
It'd turned out to be a great day after all.
Usagi positively skipped out of the house.
It was over. It was finally over. She'd fought long. She'd fought hard. But at last she had everything she wanted.
The world was safe. Her friends were by her side. And now…
She let out a little giggle.
…Now her prince was back to his old self too.
She barely stopped herself skipping all the way to the park and practically floated on air once she saw the rowboat Mamoru had hired. Five minutes later she was the picture of contentment, enjoying the ebb and flow of the boat and admiring the surrounding beauty of the park.
The warm Sun. The lush greenery. The singing birds. Right now it was perhaps the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard.
She lazily passed her eyes over the trees, trying to see if she could spot the avian responsible for the music. In her search she noticed a trio of magpies. One of them was noticeably smaller than the other two.
She went doe eyed. How adorable. It was a family. She stole a glance at Mamoru and let her imagination run wild for a moment.
She giggled again, and pushed the thought out of her head. No need to get ahead of herself. They'd both have plenty of time for that later…
Her time was up.
This was it. Her whole life was flashing before her eyes. In fact, both her lives were flashing before her eyes. And right now, even the most unpleasant parts seemed preferable to the imminent death staring her in the face.
"If you're Tsukino Usagi…"
The gun moved closer, practically touching her forehead.
"…you have the Silver Crystal, don't you?"
Usagi was only dimly surprised at the mention of the crystal. She was too preoccupied by the tiny finger upon the trigger before her.
"Give it to me now!"
"Now, now," Mamoru began. "I know you're kidding; it's just a toy…"
As the sweat dripped down her Usagi silently prayed Mamoru was right, or that he'd do something to sav-
"Don't move!"
The evil crimson eyes of her assailant had shifted to Mamoru. But Usagi was too paralyzed by fear to move away. "If you move, this girl will die!" The cruel eyes shifted their focus back onto her. "Now, hand over the Silver Crystal."
Usagi went positively blue and her mouth curled up into a small, nervous smile. "W-What? What is the Silver Crystal?"
Even in her terrified state, she couldn't let an obvious evildoer like this have the crystal. If she did, the whole Solar System might fall to ruin!
The crimson eyes narrowed, shooting a cruel and condescending look. "It's no use playing dumb. I already know you have the Silver Crystal."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Usagi nervously replied. "Even if you threaten me with that toy, if I don't know, then I don't know." Usagi was vaguely impressed with herself.
"So, you're going to insist on playing dumb."
The crimson eyes narrowed.
"In that case..."
BLAM!
There was a fluttering of wings as several birds vacated the area.
Then there was a 'thud' as Usagi fell backwards.
Five minutes later she regained consciousness. The back of her head ached from where she'd fallen. Her forehead similarly ached from where the rubber flower had affixed itself.
The only saving grace was that there was no sign of the girl with red eyes and pink hair. Rubbing the red mark on her forehead, Usagi desperately prayed she'd never have to see the little brat ever again…
Mamoru tried to lean up but was hit by another spasm of pain. His chest was aching again, forcing him to lie back down and into the sweat soaked bed.
He tried his best to distract himself, to perhaps make more sense of what had led to this. A winged horse. Tangled webs. Darkness. His thoughts were a jumble due to the pain.
"Mamoru…" He wasn't sure which of the three felines had spoken, but there was no mistaking the concern in their voice.
He let out a rattled breath and began to lightly pant, a desperate attempt to alleviate the agony. Despite the aches coursing through his chest, what really hurt was knowing Usako and Chibi-Usa were out there without him. Through half closed eyes he tried looking out the window, as if hoping to catch a glimpse of them.
He didn't. Instead, all he saw was Tokyo as he'd never seen it before. It was dark, darker than night itself. From the ground to the rooftops, the city was ensnared in a nest of webs, giving it the appearance of being long abandoned and left to rot.
That wasn't far off. The whole planet was rotting amidst this nightmare, and him with it. He was the Earth and the Earth was him. It was a connection he always knew was there, but only now, as they were falling apart together, did he truly feel it.
He felt flowers withering. He felt the oceans churning. He felt the birds…
For the briefest of moments the pain lessened ever so slightly. It might've been his imagination, but distantly, through the window, he thought he'd spotted a flock of birds flying by. He tried to focus his eyes. Were there eight of them? No, his vision had simply blurred from the pain, doubling everything he saw.
For some reason, the sight of them gave him the faintest feeling of hope. The Earth, nature, life itself. They hadn't given up just yet. Perhaps-
"Argh!"
His thought was lost and soon forgotten. His mind was blank, save for the searing pain coursing through him.
The birds chirped happily amidst the trees and the wind carried the beautiful scent of flowers through the park.
The eleven of them stood upon the hill, Mamoru vaguely wondering if it was the same spot from that day. The day of the eclipse. The eclipse that'd begun the nightmare they'd finally all awoken from.
As the silver haired boy stood silently before them, his regal white robes shining in the sunlight, it was Makoto who spoke up first. "So you're going to go after all?"
"We finally became friends…" added Ami.
"If you want, you can live in the open room we have in our shrine." Mamoru was slightly surprised at Rei's generosity, especially given the lunacy that'd occurred when he'd stayed there recently.
"Thank you." Helios' face remained still, but the small smile and kindness in his eyes radiated friendliness. Mamoru could tell the boy was intrigued by the offer. His heart sank a little, fully aware of what he'd say next. "But I am the guardian of the Golden Crystal in the sanctuary of Elysion. Now that this world is peaceful, I am not permitted to stay in this world much longer."
"I see," began Minako. "That's a shame."
Mamoru silently agreed. Equally silently, he vowed to do something about that in the future. He owed the boy that much. Not to mention-
His train of thought was cut off when Helios turned to address Usagi and himself. "Prince… Princess… Thank you very much. Thanks to you, I have been able to fulfill my duties."
Mamoru didn't need to see Usagi's face to know she shared his small, grateful smile.
"We're the ones who need to say thanks," replied Mamoru. "Thanks to you, this planet and I were both saved."
"I really didn't know what would happen for a while there…"
"Yeah, really."
Mamoru wondered if Luna and Artemis were referring to the fate of the planet or just himself. Probably both now he thought about it.
Usagi turned around and reached behind the group. "Come on, Chibi-Usa! What are you being shy about?" She practically dragged the young girl forwards.
"I'm not shy about anything!" Mamoru almost laughed, noticing how her cheeks were duplicate pink as her hair. Despite her protests, she wasn't looking directly at Helios.
"Chibi-Usa…" The silver haired boy spoke softly. A moment later he extended his arm out, took a knee and gently kissed her hand.
The sight made a tiny part of Mamoru, the part that was a 'father-in-training', feel a little uneasy. However, another, far larger part was happy for his daughter. And for the boy of her dreams.
Was this a dream? A nightmare?
It had to be.
That was the only way Usagi could make sense of what was happening all around her. The devastation the Earth was enduring was like nothing they'd ever experienced. At least, not since that terrible day millennia earlier upon the Moon…
She'd known about this day for a long time. She'd been warned of it almost eight years ago after she'd first travelled through the Space-Time Door. But she'd pushed the knowledge away, trying to live in the moment. She'd had to, they'd all had to. How else could they have coped otherwise? They couldn't have lived their lives constantly worrying when the great calamity was to come. Even if they had, no warning could've prepared them for this.
She didn't cry. There were already too many children doing that. Too many men yelling. Too many women screaming. Irrational though it was, she somehow knew that if she were to add to the surrounding despair what remained of her heart would shatter beyond repair.
Buildings crumbled, the birds who'd made them their home fleeing in terror. Then the sky shook, sending the avians lower, five of them almost diving straight at Usagi herself.
Is this what it'd been like for her mother? Was this heartbreak what she'd endured when the Dark Kingdom had torn all she'd known and loved asunder.
Queen Serenity.
She was the reason Usagi had been reborn. Why they'd all been reborn. She'd given her very life for them all to have a second chance. Usagi owed it to her memory to do no less. Or at least try to.
She clutched the brooch upon her chest, poured her heart into a singular wish and allowed the cold calamity to take her…
She'd always liked to sleep in. Even so, whatever part of her was more than human knew that around a thousand years was more than long enough.
Distantly her mind began to stir, her last thoughts steadily growing louder and louder.
Serenity would not die. Usagi would not let this be the end. Sailor Moon would not let all she'd fought for be undone.
She would save everyone.
But she couldn't do it as an ordinary girl. Nor as Princess. Not even as a warrior. She was all those things, but now, she knew, the time had come for her to be more.
The crystal emerged from the brooch, transforming into a sparkling lotus flower. A moment later, its silver light was spreading across the whole planet.
Slowly, but surely life began to stir across the globe. She risked opening her eyes, and taking in her work. Trees sprouted up. Plants bloomed. Birds began to tentatively fill the air, seven or so emerging from their reborn nests.
She didn't cry. Right now wasn't the time for tears. The world needed their Queen.
She did however grunt. The strain was starting to get to her...
His eyes fluttered open. The world was dark, but not quite as dark as he remembered it. There was a soft silvery light descending from the sky above.
He got to his feet, a little unsteadily. How long had he been out? His question was answered as soon as he saw her. The dress she wore was unmistakable, as was the crown adorning her head. Both were as beautiful as they were regal. He recalled thinking that from the moment he'd first seen her like that all those years ago, back when they first came to the future. It seemed time had finally caught up with them, only now they'd taken the long way round.
He knew what part he had to play later, once Usako had worked her miracle. However, he wasn't sure what he should do right now, whilst the miracle was still playing out.
Stepping closer though, seeing the pain and strain upon her face, he understood. It was what he had always done, what he'd been born and reborn to do. Support her. Help her. Love her.
He pushed forwards, his clothes changing with every step. Gone was the green blazer, the dark tuxedo, the Arabian attire and the midnight blue armour. When he finally reached her, gently placing his hands upon her shoulders, he was garbed in a lilac tuxedo and cape.
She said nothing, but her eyes made it clear how happy she was to see him. He smiled back at her, trying to conceal his concern as she winced again. His chest ached, though not because of the Earth's pain.
That was when an idea struck him. Something from long ago that his sleep had made him half-forget. He removed his hands from her shoulders and cupped them near his heart, concentrating hard. Distantly, he thought he heard the sound of a bell chiming and the neighing of a horse.
He felt a warm pulse within his palms and opened his eyes. Wasting no time to marvel at his success, he moved around so he was facing her, holding out his hands so they were parallel to hers. The golden glow of his crystal lotus intermingled with the silver shine of her own crystal. A moment later, the illumination of the argent item increased, its auric counterpart seemingly 'feeding' it power.
The light engulfed first the Earth, then the Moon and finally the whole Solar System.
When the light eventually dimmed he hardly recognized the city. Of course, he'd seen it before, but it'd been dark and devastated back then. A far cry from the glittering spires and shining sky surrounding them. More wondrous than the city though was the sight of everyone gradually waking up, awestruck by the crystalline beauty before them.
He heard a small sniffling sound and diverted his gaze back at her. Gently, he stroked her cheek with a gloved hand. "Why're you crying? You did it Usa-… Serenity."
She took his hand in hers and smiled brightly. "We did it, Endymion."
"Very well done. Your majesties."
In unison they looked down and saw Luna gazing up at them. Almost immediately she dropped to a kneel. Artemis, the Senshi, indeed the world, soon followed suit.
However, there was one person, silent and unseen, who refused to kneel...
The visual display cast the hologram of the shining city.
"Everything is in place?" Asked Dimande.
"Yes, my Prince."
Dimande's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Good. Soon, Crystal Tokyo shall fall. Our vengeance shall be satisfied and the natural order restored."
"Indeed, my Prince. Under your leadership the Earth shall truly flourish. And it's decadent Queen shall know her place."
Dimande nodded, perhaps waiting a split second longer than he should have. "Quite so. Quite so…"
He restrained himself from wincing in disgust. As leader he couldn't afford to show any signs of weakness. Especially over something merely unsettling.
They were alone in the throne room, Saphir and his other subjects busing themselves for the impending attack. As such an awkward and uncomfortable silence stretched between them, filled only by the echoes of their last exchange.
Annoyance and anger flared within Dimande. Not at his vizier, but rather at himself for being so childish. He decided to purge himself of the weakness. And the best way to do that was exposure to the root of his discomfort. He cast around for a subject to raise when he spotted something from the visual display.
"Tell me Wiseman, what are those?" He gestured towards the flock of seven birds.
"The Earthlings call them magpies, your highness."
"Such creatures do not exist on Nemesis. They are in their own way beautiful, are they not."
"Your highness has a superior eye for beauty than myself. My own eyes are reserved only for the future that the Black Moon Clan shall build."
Dimande's lips formed into a thin line. "Well said Wiseman, well said… But how is it you know so much about the Earth in the first place? Did you learn of it from your premonitions?"
The hooded vizier remained silent for a few seconds. To Dimande's surprise, that was somehow more unsettling.
"No, my liege. My knowledge was not gleaned from my premonitions."
"Then… First hand experience?"
"Your majesty is most wise."
"I see… And here I thought you were like us."
"…May I beg your highness to elaborate?"
A satisfied smile briefly crossed Dimande's face. "That is to say, I believed you might've originated from Nemesis, as I and my clan have?"
"Alas, the Dark Moon was never a home to myself."
"But then, why turn upon your own people?"
Dimande might've been mistaken, but he thought he saw Wiseman's hands clench.
"… The Earthlings are not my people."
"Of course they are not. And yet, unlike my clan, you must have recollections of once being a regular, weak human lik-"
"I have never been human, my liege."
Had anyone else dared cut him off, Dimande might've executed them on the spot. However, a minor slight like that wasn't worth sacrificing someone as valuable as Wiseman.
Nevertheless, it was vital he re-establish his dominance, for the sake of his ego if nothing else.
"Wiseman, I command you to fetch Rubeus. I wish to personally ensure he understands his mission to retrieve the Silver Crystal."
"As you wish, my liege."
Wiseman swiftly vanished, leaving Dimande to privately let out a sigh of relief.
Foolish boy, playing petty power games whilst being utterly ignorant of what true power was.
True power wasn't posture. It wasn't subtle threats or making commands.
Power was simple. It was elegant. It was the right word, at the right time, said the right way that got you what you wanted.
He'd known that all those centuries ago when he'd first come face-to-face with the Earth's Queen. Of course, she hadn't been a Queen back then and he hadn't been nearly as wise, as skilled a manipulator as he was now. But practice, and above all patience, had honed his skills, just as his long slumber had developed his magic.
How could it have not? The magic that had once bound him had become warped when the Queen had destroyed his jailer. His mind had awoken just enough to know the horror of his predicament, to experience his very essence slowly change, decay, evolve over the centuries until the King and Queen accidentally awoke him along with the rest of the world. In that time, his mind was his only weapon and he'd fully mastered both it and the new magics within his 'body'.
If Dimande knew that, knew what he truly was, he would be more than merely unsettled. He'd cower and hide like the child he ultimately was. But he did not know. Nobody knew. Nobody ever would. And that, above all else, was why this time he would emerge victorious.
He had no face left beneath the hood. No skin. No lips.
But, just for this moment, he wished he still did.
It'd been a long time since Jadeite had smiled.