Epilogue
Seven months later, the city of Elysion was abuzz with excitement at the news. Their new queen had given birth to the next heir of Silver Millennium about a week ago and today was the traditional naming ceremony in which the baby would be named and introduced to the subjects. Already a large crowd was forming outside the Dream Palace, wanting to get a good seat for the ceremony.
"So, what do you think Queen Dreama Aurora and King Apollo are going to name the little one, Haya-chan?" one of the spectators asked the pretty girl standing in front of him.
"I honestly have no idea, Jomei-kun. My mom says that they'll probably name her Serenity, after her grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother, but my dad is betting on Selene, the name of the ancient goddess of the moon."
Another boy with glasses laughed. "Well, I heard from a very reliable source that the baby's name is going to be Dreama, after her mother."
"And just exactly who is this so-called 'very reliable source', Hideaki-kun? The Internet?"
Hideaki pretended to wipe his glasses and purposely ignored Haya's question, which pretty much meant that she had guessed correctly. The cute brunette rolled her green eyes.
"Well, I'm putting my money on either Circe or some kind of variation of Apollo," Jomei declared. "It's about time that the father's family got some recognition. Besides, I'm tired of remembering all those Serenitys for our ancient history class. Do you realize that throughout the long history of Silver Millennium, there have been no less than seventeen Queen Serenitys, twelve Queen Selenes, six Queen Irenes, four Queen Lunas, three Queen Irises, two Queen Cynthias, and one Queen Dreama Aurora? It's enough to drive someone completely insane trying to study for the entrance exams."
"Oh, Jomei-kun…"
Yumeko dug inside the dresser in the nursery, trying to decide what the baby should wear for the ceremony. She had received so many cute outfits from all her friends and family, it was hard to decide. Pulling out two of her favorites, she turned around to her mother and grandmother, who were busy making funny faces at the new little bundle of joy.
"So, which outfit do you prefer?" she asked, holding up the two choices. "The sailor suit or the jumper?"
"I'm kind of partial to the sailor suit myself," Grandmother Usagi replied, which wasn't surprising considering that she was the one who bought it.
"Yes, the sailor suit is adorable," her mother agreed. "You know, Yumeko, you wore the sweetest little sailor dress for your own naming ceremony and you looked so cuuuuute!"
"Oh, Mama, don't embarrass me," Yumeko said, feeling her cheeks warm. Putting the other outfit back in the dresser, the new mother began dressing her baby in the chosen sailor suit, as the two older women continued to "ooh" and "ahh" and talk in silly baby talk.
Grandmother Usagi's guardian cat Luna sat nearby, smiling to herself at the sight. It wasn't very often that one had the chance to witness all three generations of Sailor Moon together in one room. The cat couldn't help wishing that Usagi's mother Queen Serenity was still alive to witness this moment. Serenity would have been so proud…
Sometimes Luna still couldn't believe all that they had went through to get to this point. It had been a long road, and they had a few bumps along the way, but Sailor Moon always managed to pull through, no matter who she was. Glancing at each of the women's faces, Luna thought about the strength and courage each of them had.
First, there was her beloved mistress, the slightly ditzy and clumsy girl with a heart of gold. Honestly, if someone had told Luna that someday Tsukino Usagi would turn out to be the greatest warrior the world had ever seen, she would have died laughing. Usagi definitely wasn't warrior material the first time they met each other. However, the one thing she never lacked was the love for her friends, the love that allowed her to defeat not only Queen Metallia and the Dark Kingdom, but also the Wiseman, Pharaoh 90, Queen Nephrenia, and Sailor Galaxia. The day that Usagi and Mamoru were crowned Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion of the reborn Silver Millennium was the proudest day of Luna's life.
Then there was Usagi's daughter Chibi-Usa, also known as Small Lady, who inherited her mother's bravery, as well as her incredible beauty. Luna knew from the very first day she met Chibi-Usa that the girl had a courageous heart, even if she was a bit bratty at times. It took guts to go back to the past in order to save her mother, especially all alone like she did. Fighting along side of Sailor Moon as Sailor Chibi-Moon really taught her a lot, which came in handy in the future when her mother was again in danger. Chibi-Usa was willing to sacrifice everything, including her own life, in order to protect the ones she loved, including Helios. Queen Lady Serenity truly was the maiden with a beautiful dream.
And finally, there was the last Sailor Moon, Yumeko, who always followed her heart and was able to see the good inside even the most evil beings. She may have been reluctant to fight at first, but in the end, the beautiful Golden Dream used her light to chase away the darkness. Dreama Aurora managed to show everyone that the power of dreams could defeat even the darkest nightmare.
They were three different women, but they each shared the same destiny: to fight for love and justice.
"Great-grandmother Luna! Great-grandmother Luna!"
Interrupted by the shouts of her three little great-grandchildren, Luna threw them a look that told the kittens that their great-grandmother was not pleased with their rowdy behavior. "How many times do I have to tell you three that it is not appropriate to yell?" she scolded lightly.
"We're sorry, Great-grandmother Luna," the black kitten, who took after her father, apologized. "But Sol, Selene and I were having an argument and we were hoping that you could settle it for us."
"What is it, Stella?"
"Well, we want to know who the strongest Sailor Soldier is. I think it's Sailor Saturn, because she has the power to blow up the entire world just by dropping her Silence Glaive, but Selene says that it is the time guardian Sailor Pluto, who is able to stop time. And Sol still insists that Tuxedo Kamen is the strongest, even though we've told him almost a thousand times that Tuxedo Kamen isn't a Sailor Soldier and that his powers are pretty wimpy anyway."
"Tuxedo Kamen is not a wimp!" Sol, a golden-hued kitten who looked very much like his mother, said. "If it weren't for him showing up at the right time, the Sailor Soldiers would have been dead ages ago. Besides, girls can't do anything except gossip and shop for hours."
The last of the litter, a beautiful silvery-gray kitten, rolled her eyes. "You are such a chauvinist pig, Sol!" Selene retorted.
"I am not…What does 'shoveinist' mean?"
Luna couldn't help laughing to herself as Sol and Selene began arguing again, the gray kitten winning easily due to her large vocabulary and natural wit. "Okay, okay, you two, that's quite enough," Luna said firmly, finally breaking up the battle of words.
"So, who is the strongest Sailor Soldier, Great-grandmother Luna?" Stella asked, bringing them back to the original subject. "It's Sailor Saturn, right?"
"Well, actually, Stella, I think that Sailor Moon is the strongest."
Usagi, who was listening in on the conversation, smiled brightly, the two others nodding their heads in agreement. "You sure got that one right, Luna! Sailor Moon is definitely the most powerful, hands down."
"Aw, nuts!" Stella exclaimed. "We all got it wrong. Now how are we supposed to decide who gets the last bit of catnip?"
"It's mine!"
"No, it belongs to me!"
"But you got it last time!"
"Did not!"
As she gently scooted the bickering kittens out of the room, Luna once again thanked God that those three were not her children. Elysia and Phantom certainly had their hands full with that bunch.
A few minutes later, Grandfather Mamoru, Apollo, and Elysia come upstairs to inform the girls that it was almost time for the ceremony to start. After wishing the young couple luck, Mamoru, Usagi, and their daughter left to take their seats, and the new king and queen stepped onto the balcony, the baby sleeping peacefully in its mother's arms as Elysia stepped up to the microphone. As the queen's advisor, it would be Elysia's duty to do the introduction. The crowd immediately quieted as soon as she started talking.
"First, allow me to welcome you all to the first public appearance of the new heir, born on June 30th to Queen Dreama Aurora-sama and King Apollo-sama. Today is a very special day, for reasons other than the obvious, for today we witness the fulfillment of an ancient prophesy. I will now turn the microphone over to my grandmother Luna, who will read a translated copy of the original Lunari text."
There was polite applause as the black cat took over. "Thank you, Elysia and everybody," she began, spreading out the paper and clearing her throat. "This prophesy was written over ten thousand years ago by Queen Irene IV, who was known for her unusual gift to predict the future. It says 'A time of eternal peace shall come upon us, heralded by the birth of a child to the queen of Silver Millennium. This child, a son, will symbolize the end of all wars and the beginning of a new dream. He will be called the Prince of Peace, a savior to our people. Welcome him with open arms, for he is peace personified.'"
Yumeko smiled as the crowd below began murmuring loudly. The reading of the old prophesy had struck a chord in the citizens of Elysion. In her arms, the baby awoke and started to coo softly, almost as if it realized that it was the subject of all the commotion.
Elysia once again took the microphone. "Citizens of Silver Millennium, it is my extreme honor to present to you the next heir of our kingdom, Prince Helios Apollo Endymion."
The sound of celebration could be heard throughout the kingdom.
After the ceremony was over, Yumeko went back into the nursery, cradling her son in her arms. Little Benjiro, the nickname his father had bestowed upon him, gurgled happily as his mother began humming.
"What are you humming, Yumeko?" her husband asked, joining them a few minutes later. Apollo kissed her on the top of her head. "It's beautiful."
She stopped, suddenly recognizing the sweet little lullaby. Her golden eyes filled with tears, both of happiness and sadness. "It's the song my father used to sing to me when I was a little girl," she whispered.
"Oh, Yumeko, I'm sorry…"
Wiping a stray tear from her face, the queen forced herself to smile. "No, it's okay, Apollo. I'm fine, really."
"I wish your father could have been here today," Apollo said, wrapping his arms around his small family. "He would have loved to meet his grandson."
"Yes, he would."
"Yumeko, will you sing that song to me?"
She blushed, not very confident about her singing ability. "I don't know, honey. I'm not exactly as good of a singer as Kagami-chan is."
"Please…"
Reluctantly, she took a seat on the rocking chair and began singing softly, her voice as beautiful as any angel's.
"Beautiful…" he said once she had finished.
The mother brought a finger to her lips, silently telling him not to speak. Benjiro was finally asleep, tired after such an exciting day. Careful not to wake him, Yumeko gently placed the tiny baby in his cradle as Apollo walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist. They looked down at their child in silence, amazed that they had created this incredible little life.
"Benjiro, may all your dreams come true…"
In the night sky, a star twinkled.
