Chapter 16

Neptune slowly opened her eyes. The pain was back, and it was pretty intense too. But as her vision focused, she saw something... someone leaning over her.

"Michiru! Michiru!"

Neptune sat up and immediately found herself in Nathan's strong embrace. Tears welled up in his eyes and she felt them dab her cheeks. "I couldn't find your pulse," he said, heaving. "I thought you were gone. Thank God you're okay." He hugged her more tightly. "Thank God," he whispered again.

"You certainly should," Neptune replied. "He sent an angel to help guide me back here, you know."

"An angel?" Nathan questioned, finally loosening his grip. "Who?"

But Michiru only smiled in response. "A very special one," she said. "Now, shall we turn our attention to the situation at hand?" She staggered to her feet a bit, which didn't help her cause.

"But your injury!" Nathan objected. Michiru glanced down at the blood on her arm.

"Oh this?" she said as if it was a paper cut or a mild burn. "This is nothing. I have a duty to complete here. I will make sure we all go to Crystal Tokyo... together." With that, she turned to face her adversary.

"So, I see you're back up," Chaos jeered. "Now that's a surprise. Are you going to try and fight me again? Maybe then you'll find a way to turn your partner back to normal."

She indicated over the Haruka, Michiru's eyes followed until they met with those of her child. A drop of blood had tricked down her cheek, but she still held the tiny baby Saturn protectively in her arms. A look of determination spread over her face, not unlike that expression Michiru remembered on her friend years ago. But this was not Haruka Tenou. This was someone different, and someone just as wonderful.

"I don't know what you're talking about Chaos," Neptune replied coolly. "If you mean this girl here, she is my daughter. And I would not have her any other way than she is now."

No word did justice to the expression on Haruka's face when Michiru said that. It was as if, after all her years of straining to meet her mother's approval, she had finally achieved it. Haruka wasn't exactly what she had done for her mother to finally say that. Perhaps she herself didn't do anything. Perhaps all the sorrow and frustration Michiru had carried on her shoulders melted away in the single phase, "I would not have her any other way."

Chaos' eyes opened in shock. Apparently what she had thought to be Neptune's greatest weakness was no longer there for her to exasperate it. And it irritated her. Chaos threw a black energy attack in Neptune's direction, but with her head cleared it was a little easier to dodge. The next attack came dangerously close to Haruka and Saturn, though. The girl had to back up to avoid the blow. Neptune narrowed her eyes as she watched.

"Come near her again, and I'll slit your throat," she muttered.

"Everyone!" Sailor Moon called. "Gather together! Hold your hands. If we all put our energy into one attack, we might win."

Everyone quickly gathered in a circle. Sailor Moon, Neptune, and Tuxedo Mask tried to space themselves protectively among the children, but off course, they were outnumbered. Haruka had to clutch one arm around Saturn's tiny body, and use the other to take her mother's hand. Michiru smiled to herself as she felt Haruka's strength.

"Mama," Haruka said quietly.

"Yes, angel?"

"Did... did you mean what you said back there?"

"About what?"

Haruka scoffed. Her mother played stupid at the most awkward times. "You know about what," she said.

Michiru smiled and tossed back her hair. "I meant everything I said."

Inside, something saddened her that her partner, as she knew her before, was truly gone. Yet in another way. she was happy. She had said her goodbyes, the mourning was over. And she had made a promise. To live the rest of her life, happy with her family. Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't a certain score to settle. That nasty gash in her side still stung quite a bit.

Everyone lifted their heads back, calling out the names of their mother planets, and asking them for strength. Chaos, in turn, focuses all her energy into a single attack to tear them down. The two blasts of energy hit each other and screamed furiously. They seemed to be perfectly matched. Neptune looked deeper inside herself; there was always more strength when she reminded herself what she was fighting for. So that Chaos would causing suffering to no one else, so that their home was no longer under such a threat, so that Haruka, Chibiusa, Ami, and all the others could have a safe place to finish growing up, this monster had to be destroyed. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. Two hands. Behind her, Nathan was supporting her so she would not fall.

"Nathan?" she gasped.

"You can do it," he whispered to her, words sweet as on the day they had met. The hopeless romantic that he was, he never lost faith in her. Not even now. "Don't give up." Michiru nodded. Even without powers of his own, he gave her strength, more than he knew. But there was someone else, a fainter presence behind him. Slowly, but surely, The white light emanating from the senshi grew closer towards their opponent, and Michiru could almost hear her old friend's words whispering softly in her ear,

"As long as stars shine, we will not lose."

Michiru stirred lightly in her sleep. Where was she? The last she remembered, they were fighting Chaos, and she was in a conceivable amount of pain. Her first thought was perhaps she was slipping away again, but as she moved her face in front of her, she found it to be resting on a soft silky pillow and the sigh came from the warm body next to her.

Michiru opened her eyes. "Nathan..." she whispered. And so he was, lying faithfully next to her. Michiru glanced around the room. It did not look familiar, yet somehow she neither felt like she was intruding. On the wall were photos. She squinted at them; vision was not best first thing in the morning. But enough focusing revealed them to be photos of herself. There was her and Nathan at their wedding, them and the Chiba family enjoying a picnic. And then there was...

"Mama?" a voice called out to her. Michiru sat up. A face peered around the corner and into the room. She wasn't sure what to make of it at first. It was Haruka, but older than when she last saw her... perhaps about eleven or twelve.

And the way she leaned on the wall as she glanced in was almost like she was... Michiru gasped as Haruka moved forward. From her back were a protruding pair of white wings. And instead of sitting in her wheelchair, the tips of her toes were hovering limply over the floor. Now Michiru was even more convinced she was in a dream, she even considered pinching herself, but as the blonde floated unsteadily forward, something deep within her assured her sorrowed spirit that is was real.

"Mama," she said again, with a smile beaming like rays of sunlight. "You're awake. I brought you flowers." She held up her other hand to reveal a bunch of purple and yellow daisies in her fist. Holding her arm out to balance, she attempted to go forward again, but this time nearly tripped as the wingtips bumped against the wall. As she caught her balance on the end of her parents' bed, Michiru instinctively reached over to catch her.

"Sorry," the young girl said. "Serenity told me I shouldn't try flying indoors."

"Neo Queen Serenity?" Michiru questioned curiously.

"When she gave me these," Haruka answered, flicking the tips of her wings, proving they were indeed part of her own body. "She said she couldn't heal my legs, but she could help me move around easier. Guess I'm overexcited."

Michiru smiled. "As you always have been, my little angel."

At this point, Nathan also began to stir. He opened he eyes and beamed at the image of his wife and daughter before him.

"Good morning, darling," he said.

"Good morning," Michiru said, kissing him on the lips. A little bit of morning breath, but nevertheless sweet. And it was a good morning. In Neo Crystal Tokyo, it was the start of a whole new life.

Michiru took the flowers in her hands. She knew just the perfect spot for them. One photo, sitting high on the mantle for all to see. She fetched a crystal vase with a set of wings carved into either side. Delicately, she filled the vase with water and arranged the flowers in it, setting it next the photo. It was an older one, but that made it all the more precious.

"Thank you, Haruka," she whispered to the picture. "You'll always be watching over me."

Author's Notes: Well, what does everyone think? I re-did the ending which is why it took a while to post. Originally, Sailor Saturn healed Haruka's legs so she could walk, only not very well. A couple of my friends told me this was too Hollywoodized, and after re-reading it, I agreed with them. I also originally had this split into two chapters, but I combined them. Anyway, thanks for reading all this way. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.