A/N # 1: This is version two of the epilogue. Version one was up last Friday, as promised, but it wasn't exactly a great draft. Why? Because my dad was afflicted with something my mom likes to call diarrhea of the mouth and spent two hours lecturing me about nothing in particular. As a result, when I sat down at my computer around nine and only had two pages done, I panicked. I wrote the next five pages with my MP3 player blasting music into my ears, and posted it around two a.m., Saturday. As a result, there were a few continuity errors that needed to be fixed, such as the fact that Motoki actually called off the bet around chapter four or five and thus didn't really owe Mamoru money. The biggest changes are what happened after the battle, so go ahead and skip to that if you want to reread. There are also notes about upcoming stuff at the bottom.

Disclaimer: You know the drill guys—don't own it, don't sue.

OOOPS!
Epilogue
—An End to All Things, Good and Bad—

-Tsukino Usagi
Time: Unknown; Whereabouts: Questionable-

Several variations of "Usagi, no!" sounded through the room.

"That wasn't a scream! I said I wanted to hear her scream!" Beryl protested, sounding rather like a petulant child. Oh, nice, I thought, wincing. Someone had my shoulder in a death grip, and my knees were sore from being pressed against the rough, grainy floor.

"My apologies, my queen. I saw an opportunity, and I took it. Old habits die hard. It won't happen again."

Surely this couldn't be my afterlife. What kind of thanks was this for all those time I'd risked my butt to save the world?

At least my stomach wasn't bothering me, I reflected. Most people probably experienced some sort of discomfort after being disemboweled, but not I. Thank Kami for small kindnesses.

Wondering what the place where I'd be spending the rest of eternity looked like, I opened my eyes. And closed them again.

The afterlife wasn't pretty.

Obviously leading a double-life and saving innocents every day wasn't enough to guarantee a girl a tropical island teeming with cute guys. It hadn't even gotten me a sunny meadow, I thought as I surveyed the place through my eyelashes. For one thing, it looked remarkably like Beryl's cave. For another, there was blood everywhere. And to add insult to injury, Mamoru, the last person I wanted to see, was methodically cleaning the blade of his sword on my fuku. I wondered if whoever was in charge here would do anything to me for ensuring that he would not procreate.

"Finally," he hissed, his gaze lighting on my shocked expression. "I thought I was going to stand here forever. Follow my lead, Odango, and we may yet get out of this alive."

I stared, not quite able to voice what I was thinking. What?

"I'll create a distraction. You'll kill her. Simple enough?"

I nodded. Satisfied, he gave me a push and let go of my shoulder. I slumped to the floor.

"Make sure it doesn't," Beryl was saying when I started paying attention again.

"Of course, my queen. But in the meantime, I've just killed your greatest enemy—the leader of the Sailor Senshi. Those who remain are broken—" he paused a moment to throw the Senshi a pointed look. Obviously they saw something I hadn't because they stopped struggling against their captives and dissolved into loud, fake sobs. "I'll even venture," he continued confidently, "that if you call your youma away, they will still make no move to hurt you. Sailor Moon was their motivation, and she is gone."

Oh no, he didn't.

'Oh yes, he did,' Serenity replied grimly.

She can't possibly fall for that.

"Release the Senshi," Beryl commanded. The youma vanished. As promised, the girls embraced each other and sank to the floor as one, shoulders shaking.

'You know,' Serenity murmured thoughtfully, 'She never was very bright.'

"And now we toast to our victory." Beryl produced two glasses filled with a dark blue liquid out of thin air. Smiling, she handed one to Mamoru. The two came together with a resounding ring and were quickly tipped back. Once finished, Mamoru took a step forward, encircled Beryl's waist with his arm, and pulled her into a kiss. I stood up. He'd conveniently positioned himself so that she had no choice but to turn her back to me.

"Moon…" I began quietly.

'No,' Serenity interrupted. 'That's sure to kill her immediately.'

Uh…pardon, isn't that what we want?

I could almost see Serenity shaking her head. 'There's something bigger than Beryl here. I knew her before…all this. She was certainly not stupid, but she didn't have the motivation or the attention span to stage something like this by herself. Someone else is pulling the strings, and we need Beryl at least partially alive if we're to figure out who.'

Nodding subconsciously, I reached for my sword.

'Dagger,' Serenity suggested before I had even touched the hilt. 'She'll take longer to die.'

The years of training that the princess inside of me had undergone a thousand years ago came to life. They had lain dormant so far, during my first fifteen years on Earth, but no more. The weapon flew true and hit its target without qualms. Mamoru stepped back immediately and the Senshi clambered to their feet, eager to drop the charade.

And Beryl laughed. It was a loud, discordant sound, worse than nails on a chalkboard, and carried through the cavern as if she was expressing her feelings to the far wall, just like we were told to do in speech class. But the worst of it was the shivers it sent up my spine—like something slimy had been dropped down my fuku and was fighting to get out. It was the first time in a year that I was truly afraid of her.

"Very good!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "And hey, if I was a complete idiot, maybe I would have fallen for it." Beryl rolled her eyes. "I hope you didn't actually stab her, because that would be a shame, your pretty girlfriend dying at the hands of the man who loves her most."

"I don't—" Mamoru began to protest.

"Oh don't start," Beryl urged, waving her arms. A dark patch had appeared on her dress where the blood soaked through, and still she stood there, grinning like her evil plan had just come to fruition. "I remember Endymion well," she explained. "He was charming, intelligent, wild, and arse over tea kettle in love with Serenity." A note of bitterness crept into her voice. "He'd never betray her. I'd have to be a complete moron to think otherwise."

I thought you said he was dangerous, I commented.

'He is dangerous,' Serenity replied, 'to himself. Endymion has a horrible habit of getting himself into all sorts of scrapes that he can't possibly get out of without considerable damage to his person.'

You mean like that?

(X)(X)(X)

-Chiba Mamoru-

If I could see Endymion, I would have crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. Good job, I congratulated.

'So it didn't work exactly as planned. What does it matter if she knows you're a bad actor? She'll be dead in a few moments. You'll be able to go home and return to a life that doesn't require you to split the twenty-four hours you're allowed each day between your studies and saving the world. You'll be able to sleep for longer than it takes you to shower. Think about it and smile a little, for Gaea's sake.'

I had to admit it: the old fart had a point. We'd underestimated Beryl, true, but we'd won. She was defeated, and as far as I knew, once dead, even evil witch demons stayed that way.

I felt tired, and the idea of a full night's sleep seemed like paradise. I swayed gently from side to side, picturing a warm, comfortable bed with soft, cotton sheets, and a fluffy pillow.

"Mamoru?" Usagi's voice cut through the haze like a knife, but the rest of the sentence was distorted, as if she was far away, and struggling to get her words across. She looked worried.

"It's all right, Odango," I assured her, grinning lopsidedly, "I'm just a little tired. Do me a favor, and wake me up when you figure out how to get us home."

A muffled curse echoed through my head as I slid to the floor that was so much more inviting now than five minutes ago.

(X)(X)(X)

-Tsukino Usagi-

"No! Mamoru, no! Don't do that," I cried, rushing to his side before he could hit his head. "You can sleep when we get home."

"Don't bother," said Beryl, inspecting her nails with all the apathy of someone who didn't have a knife sticking out of their back. I was glad to see that she was looking more anemic that usual. "I added a little something to his drink. He'll be dead before I am."

"No, he won't be," I declared, laying two fingers across his wrist. The pulse was faint, like his breathing, but unmistakably there. I still had a chance.

You need to tell me how to bring forth the ginzuishou. I can't let him die.

I waited for the reply.

Serenity? Where are you?

There was none. No answer and no pulse.

"No," I gasped. Before I knew it, my breath was coming in short, quick gasps. I couldn't hold the air inside long enough to get my bearings, and my chest felt tight and constricted, like someone twice my size had sat on it. The humming in my ears didn't help. "Come on, baka," I whispered, shaking him roughly. "Don't bail on me now."

"You're wasting your time," Beryl informed me. It was fitting that she hit the floor seconds later.

"Ami, please tell me there's something we can do," I pleaded.

Ami, Makoto, Rei, and Mina, still in their fukus, had formed a circle of four around Mamoru and me, guarding from any possible danger.

Strands of blue hair rose and fell as Ami shook her head. "The computer's not picking up any vital signs, Usagi. He's gone."

"No!" Tears sprung to my eyes, and I blinked them away furiously. My stomach throbbed; the blood and the sword had disappeared, but the phantom wound had decided that it had every right to hurt as if it was real. Besides, I'd gotten stuck with so many sharp, pointy things in the past twenty-four hours that my body's healing powers could hardly be expected to keep up. Rei grabbed my wrist and with some difficulty, managed to pull me to my feet.

"We gotta go, Usagi. Something big is coming."

"No. Uh-uh." I jerked my hand out of her grasp. "I'm not leaving him."

"Yes, you are." Makoto grabbed me around the waist, preparing to drag me away. I kicked my feet and threw myself forward to catch her off balance. At half Mako-chan's height, I managed to throw her off me. Of course, the earthquake helped.

"Mamoru risked his life to make sure we had a fighting chance. He won't rot in this damned place," I yelled over the noise, scrunching up my face in a further attempt to hold back the waterworks. This was not the time.

The walls of the cave shook, dislodging the sharp, jagged rocks growing from the ceiling. I lunged forward, dodging falling debris to get to Mamoru's body. Kneeling beside him, I wrapped his arm around my neck and struggled to my feet.

Swearing, Makoto joined me and did the same with his other arm. With Mina and Rei clearing the way with their strongest attacks, and Ami scanning for the next falling stalactite, the two of us managed to drag him to the entrance and out into the snow. Before I could take another step, Beryl's stronghold, which I could now see was a huge rock, shaped whimsically like a castle, collapsed in on itself.

"It's gone," Mina whispered incredulously.

"Thank Kami and good riddance," muttered Makoto, wiping the sweat of her brow.

"Oh," squeaked Ami. She was looking past my shoulder, her blue eyes wide.

Rei followed her gaze. "Fuck," she bit out, narrowing her eyes.

Slowly, I turned around. "Yeah, that about covers it," I said weakly.

Beryl stood there, at five times her previous size, dress billowing in the wind. Ami's eyes flitted over the screen of her visor as her fingers danced nimbly across the miniature keyboard. "That's not Beryl," she stated. "It just looks like her."

"I don't care what it is or who it looks like," I declared grimly. "Can we kill it?"

"I don't know," she informed me, worrying her lower lip.

"Let's find out," Rei suggested, pulling her hands back into the familiar combination of gestures that would produce her signature attack. "Mars—" she began.

"What the hell is that?" Makoto asked. The Beryl-who-was-not-Beryl was cupping her hands up in front of her chest as if she was holding something round and soon, she was. It was black and pulsing with energy, and it was getting bigger before our eyes.

"Run," advised Mina, taking a step back.

But it was too late. The dark energy was released and flew across the wide stretch of land only slightly slower than Superman and hit me head on, encasing me in a mound of ice.

A whack of my Moon Wand ruptured the top of the ice crystal, putting me face to face with the brains of the operation. I was pleased to find that not only was I wearing a very particular dress, but I also happened to be holding the rock that would save us all; the ginzuishou.

Queen Metalia (my brain supplied the information automatically) strengthened her attack, and I fought to keep the protective force field the crystal formed intact. It was shrinking steadily.

"Uh…guys…a little help here?"

Startled out of the shock-induced trance, each girl put her hand on mine and called forward her power.

"Mercury Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Venus Power!"

"Moon Prism Power!" I finished, concentrating on throwing every ounce of power the ginzuishou had at Queen Metalia. The bundle of white energy consumed all fifty feet of her entirely, and I collapsed to my knees, spent.

My vision blurred, and I thought I was going to lose consciousness. When I saw the two figures coming towards me, I wondered if I hadn't done so already.

As they came closer, I could discern a man and a woman, dressed in the regal attire of those of especially high status. They looked awfully familiar.

"Serenity?" I called out cautiously.

The woman smiled in reply, tossing one of her pale, blonde pigtails over her shoulder. A crescent moon glowed brightly on her forehead, illuminating her and her companion in light. Her companion. Endymion. Mamoru. Oh Kami.

"I couldn't save him. I tried so hard, but I couldn't save him." I told her in a whisper, focusing my gaze on the ground. I'd failed. I'd lost him.

"Couldn't save who?" asked someone in a raspy voice.

"Mamoru," I explained. "He's gone."

The speaker—I assumed it was Endymion—cleared his throat. "Uh…am I missing something, Odango?"

I looked up sharply and instantly thought I was hallucinating. Mamoru stood next to Endymion, looking every bit his reincarnation.

With a little gasp, I threw myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "You're okay," I mumbled into his chest, forgetting that I was supposed dislike him strongly.

"Uh…yeah." He patted my back awkwardly.

"See? I told you it would all be all right," said Endymion taking a step forward. Mamoru lifted me up and placed me behind him, putting himself between me and the prince.

"You're a psychopath," he decreed, his voice rising a bit in panic. "I have absolutely no idea how you managed to get a princess to fall in love with you, but at this point, I don't care. Please, just leave me alone. I'm tired of hearing voices in my head."

"You've been hearing voices too?" I asked. "How long?"

"Since the battle at the Starlight Tower."

I was seconds away from shooting Serenity a withering look when something clicked inside my head. I could almost see the proverbial light bulb turning on. "The Starlight Tower? What were you doing at the battle of the Starlight Tower, Mamoru?" I asked suspiciously.

"Er…"

"And why didn't I see you there?"

"Well…" he gave me an uneasy smile. "It's sort of a long story, you see…"

"I've got time." I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting. When he didn't start talking immediately, I started thinking aloud. "The only way you could have been there without me knowing is if you were in disguise, like we were. You're not one of the Generals, or a Senshi, and you're certainly not a youma…" Suddenly, I knew where I had seen Endymion's cape before and also where I had heard the snobby, self-assured voice Mamoru had used when talking to Beryl. "Oh…my…God…" I whispered, my eyes widening in realization. "You're Tuxedo Kamen."

Mamoru stared at me like a deer stuck in the headlights, confirming my hypothesis. My jaw dropped. "You jerk!" I exclaimed, punching him in the shoulder. "And you've got the nerve to get on my case about being Sailor Moon? You're just as bad! At least I do something besides give corny speeches!"

"Hey!" Mamoru said indignantly, seeming to have found his voice. "I've saved your sorry ass more times than I can count, corny speeches or not."

I suppose it would have gone on like that for some time had Endymion not chuckled and regained my attention. "Reminds me of us when we first met," he was saying to Serenity in a low murmur. Reluctantly, I turned away from Mamoru.

"I think you owe us an explanation," I told them.

"All right." Serenity took a deep breath and began, "When Queen Serenity used the ginzuishou to give us all a second chance, she took Endymion's and my memories and locked them away inside our new bodies as punishment for defying her. Only if our reincarnations managed to fall in love would the ginzuishou let us go."

"We're not in love," Mamoru and I objected at the same time.

Serenity rolled her eyes and continued anyway. "We were awakened at the Tokyo Tower, when you used the ginzuishou for the first time, and I suppose you sobbing over his dead body convinced the crystal that neither time nor death would change the way we…you felt about each other. Since, however, you two decided to continue fighting like an old married couple despite everything, it was a bit reluctant to let us go until now."

"Satisfied?" asked Endymion.

"I suppose," Mamoru answered grudgingly.

"Good. It's time for you six to go home."

(X)(X)(X)

-Tsukino Usagi
Monday, 7:30am; Tsukino Residence-

Early Monday morning, I was rudely woken up by a loud shriek. Groaning, I lifted my covers off my head and glanced at the alarm clock. Seven thirty. School started in an hour, so I had at least another fifty minutes to try and sleep off the post-battle hangover. Resolving to do just that, I buried myself deeper into the blankets and closed my eyes. Unfortunately, someone else had a slightly different idea.

"Tsukino Usagi, where have you been?" Wincing, I opened one eye a mere millimeter and peered at my mother. It was the first time in my life I had seen her look like she was having a bad day.

"Mama, could you keep it down just a bit?" I mumbled into the covers, "I think someone dropped a brick on my head yesterday."

She acted like she hadn't heard me. "What were you thinking? Your father and I have been worried sick! First, the library disappears, and then I find out you're in it? I just about had a heart attack! And then a hundred people, all presumed dead at this point, turn up at the Hikawa Shrine, claiming that Sailor Moon saved them. Where is my daughter, I ask, but nobody knows. You, young lady, have some serious explaining to do!"

Groaning, I sat up. "Mama," I said, slowly, "I have something to tell you."

"You're on drugs," my mother concluded, taking on look at my face. "I knew it! I knew this couldn't be normal. You're never home for more than ten minutes at a time, I've seen you sneaking out at night, going Kami knows where..." she trailed off. "Don't worry, Usagi. We'll get you the help you need."

"I'm Sailor Moon," I declared before she could check me into a rehab clinic.

"What?"

"That's why I didn't come back with the others," I continued.

"How long?" she asked faintly, sinking onto the bed.

So I told her. After a few minutes, she looked up.

"So let me get this straight—you're the reincarnation of a princess that lived a thousand years ago, and last year, when these attacks started, Luna gave you a magic brooch that turned you into Sailor Moon?" I nodded. "And you've been juggling school, friends, and fighting evil on two hours of sleep a night, and yesterday you killed two evil masterminds and brought a boy back from the dead?"

"Uh-huh."

"Right." She reached for the cordless phone on my table.

"What're you doing, Mama?"

"I'm calling my travel agent. You and your friends need a vacation."

(X)(X)(X)

-Tsukino Usagi
3:30pm; Crown Center Arcade-

I walked into the Arcade later that day feeling awake and refreshed. My mother had called my school and informed the director that I was sick and would not be coming in. Then, she'd pulled down my blinds, tucked me in, and closed my door. I was out like light in two minutes and had gotten up an hour ago, happier than I've been in ages.

Smiling to myself as I hummed a popular Three Lights song under my breath, I walked up to the counter, greeted Motoki brightly, and ordered a triple chocolate milkshake with whipped cream.

"All right," he said, grabbing a clean glass, "just as long as it doesn't end up on someone's head."

"It won't," I promised. Once he was done, I grabbed my favorite beverage and escaped to an empty booth, seconds before a flock of teenage girls, fresh out of school, flocked the counter. Away from the commotion, I sipped the drink in peace, savoring the taste of chocolate as the cool liquid slipped down my throat. I was almost finished when someone slid into the seat across from me. I looked up curiously and was met by a bouquet of roses.

"I owe you an apology," came Mamoru's voice from behind the flowers. "I've been a real jerk lately, and I'm not quite sure what came over me, granted I suspect Endymion had something to do with it."

"You ran me through with a sword yesterday. Is that Endymion's fault, too?"

"Well first of all, yes. It was all his idea. And second, the sword that I supposedly ran you through with didn't actually exist. The whole thing was just an illusion, Ms. I'm-the-most-faint-hearted-Senshi-in-the-world Moon."

Had he not kept his voice exceptionally low, I would have yelled at him. Instead, I took the flowers from him and leaned my face into them, inhaling deeply. "They're beautiful. Thank you."

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

"Umm…no…it means you're on probation. If you behave, you're forgiven," I said with a smile. After all, it was a chance to start over.

"You're flirting with me."

"No, I'm giving you another chance. Beggars can't be choosers, Mamoru." I wagged my finger at him playfully. "And besides," I added as an afterthought, "it would never work."

"Why not?" he inquired thoughtfully.

"Gosh, how about the fact that we don't like each other?"

"We don't like each other?" he asked in mock surprise.

I rolled my eyes.

He shook his head at the gesture. "Look, all I'm saying is that maybe Serenity and Endymion have stumbled onto something worth exploring."

"Maybe they have," I agreed, "but the fact remains that we are not Serenity and Endymion, Mamoru. They aren't even really a part of us anymore."

"No," he told me, "the fact remains that there isn't anybody in the world who I'd rather be locked in a closet with or stuck in a noisy mall with. It's not just that you can be a clumsy, ditzy, ball of energy one minute, and a cool, collected warrior the next. It's that I come to the Arcade hoping to see you and get worried when I don't. It's that you make me care about things other than myself and a few friends. That's gotta count for something, right?"

"Mamoru, that's sweet, but we're at each other's throats ninety percent of the time."

"And I love it a hundred percent of the time," he shot back with a smile. "It's fun to argue with you, Odango. It's fun and challenging, and I wouldn't give it up for the world, but it doesn't mean that we can't do other things too."

I stared at him, still unsure.

"I'm not asking you to accept a ring, Usagi, just dinner. We'll see where it goes from there."

"All right," I said slowly.

"Hey, Mamoru, can I get you anything?" Motoki asked from behind me.

Mamoru grinned widely in reply. "You can recommend a nice restaurant where I can take a pretty girl to dinner."

I blushed and pretended deep interest in the vestiges of my milkshake.

Taking in the strange scene, Motoki said, "Does this mean I'm out of 5500 yen?"

I looked up, wondering what he meant.

Mamoru was shaking his head. "Nah, you called it off, remember? Of course, if, out of the goodness of your heart, you feel like giving it to charity, I'm sure some poor orphan somewhere will be very pleased."

Motoki nodded, slapped Mamoru on the shoulder, and went back to the counter, where a crowd had gathered once again.

"What was that all about?" I wondered. Mamoru shook his head.

"You don't want to know, Odango. You don't want to know."

Fin

A/N #2: It's finally finished. All ninety-six pages of it (if someone wants a compilation of the whole thing 'cause it's such a hassle to read it online, let me know, and I'll e-mail you a Microsoft Word version). I spent the last week inserting about one hundred commas into every one of the first eight chapters—I was very punctuation-phobic until I read Eats, Shoots & Leaves—and correcting various continuity errors. I can now officially declare the fic complete. I apologize to everyone I've upset with the last chapter, especially Raining Tear Drops 4. You should know that I never kill off characters I intend to ship unless I'm planning on bringing them back.

To those of you who asked for a sequel: I'm pretty sure at this point that there won't be one. However, you'll notice that I left myself a backdoor in case I can't let go. Usagi and her friends are going on vacation. There's a miniscule possibility that I will write that sometime in the future.

To those who want me to write more: As I was finishing this fic, I was thinking that I'm done with the Sailor Moon fandom. Then, I came across one of my old notebooks and read a plot bunny that attacked me a long time ago. Now, I'm seriously reconsidering. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the first chapter of another first love, SM fic, will be posted sometime soon. More about that and fanfiction of the HP fandom in my bio.

In general: I hope you all enjoyed the fic. Thank you for reading and giving me your opinions. It's been fun.

Please review, and let me know what you think.

/A smart man covers his ass, a wise man leaves his pants on./ -C.D. Bailey