Epilogue

Her bones ached-no, throbbed. She winced internally at her pain because she did not have the strength or the courage to do so externally. Everything seemed to hurt.

What had happened to make her feel this badly? She could almost feel herself pale as she remembered the answer. Could she have possibly survived? Was she still alive in the dark cavern lying on top of her dead Love's body? No. No, no one could sustain a wound like the one she had given herself.

So where was she now? Was she dead? She surely expected death to be more comfortable than this. And where was Mamoru? Usagi's throat closed at the thought of his name. Mamoru. God, how she wished he were here.

Usagi suddenly squinted her closed eyes and was both surprised and overwhelmed by the irritant-light. And not just any light, but the distinctive light of the sun.

Usagi forced her left eye open with all of her strength. Her blurred vision did not help answer any of her concerns. All she could make out was tones of pink and white, and fuzzy...objects with, with floppy ears? Bunnies? Was she-could she actually be in her bedroom? She forced her other eye open and, as her vision cleared, she found that she was in fact in her room.

"But how..." she whispered to herself.

Had it all been a dream? Her aching body screamed otherwise. Usagi painfully pushed herself into a sitting position, causing her to notice her reflection in her bedroom mirror. The entire right side of her face was black and blue, her hair was stringy and loose and caked with dirt and blood. Blood. She still wore her once-white nightgown that was now mostly cover with patches of blood-Mamoru's blood...and her blood too! She franticly felt underneath the sticky, stiff garment searching for the gash that the sword would have left. There was nothing there except the stain of her blood.

She wobbily pushed herself to her feet, trying to collect her thoughts at the same time. Usagi continued to stare at herself in the mirror-at the blood that cover her knees and parts of her shins from when she had knelt next to Mamoru's dying body. Mamoru...Wait a second...if she was still alive, then-then-maybe...

Usagi rushed down her stairs, despite her body's painful protest. She ran straight out the front door not giving her mother enough time to see her bruised and battered daughter. She ran the four blocks to her destination as fast as her bare feet would carry her. She ran, ignoring the horrified stares and gasps of the pedestrians and motorists that littered the streets and sidewalks. Everyone but Mamoru was blocked out of her mind.

She almost ran right into the slowly sliding doors of the Crown Game Center, and pulled her self to a halt once she was inside. She immediately spotted the back of a blacked haired young man who appeared to be frantically searching for someone.

Everyone stopped when Usagi had entered. Motoki dropped the drinks he was carrying, the teens playing games stared in terrified shock, and a raven-haired young women and a tall brunette stared horrified at their friend.

"Dear, God, Usagi!" Rei screamed. "What happened to you?" she asked on the verge of tears.

At the mention of Usagi's name, Mamoru whipped around at an impossible speed. He knew she was alive. There she stood before him, bruised and in nothing but a blood stained nightgown.

Usagi shakily brought her hands over her mouth, overwhelmed and not believing that God could be this kind. He was alive. THEY were alive, and they were together.

Her emotions were much too intense to bear. Her chest heaved roughly and tears welled up in her eyes. She could feel her shoulders shaking and she knew she was going to collapse.

Mamoru ran to catch her quickly and gathered her in his arms. Usagi wrapped her weak arms around his neck with a surprising amount of strength and sobbed into his neck. Mamoru cried also, not able to hold it in.

Neither noticed nor cared to notice the sight they made-two ex-rivals covered with cuts and black and blue marks and each other's dried blood, holding each other desperately; and all anyone could do was stare. No one made a move to stop them, to help them, to separate them. They just watched in shock as the two embrace and shared in their incredibly moving and joyous moment.

Usagi felt lightheaded and happy in Mamoru's arms. She wasn't sure how she and Mamoru were alive. Was it a miracle...were they saved by God...did the crystal grant her wishes? She didn't know or care. She had finally gotten him back, and she had finally earned the right to be his princess. She truly was a princess, broken no more.

The End