The Light of Hope has triumphed. Chaos has been defeated. Every Star Seed has been restored. And now Usagi and Mamoru stand alone together in the aftermath, sharing the first moments of the rest of their lives, but the last moments of the evening… Written for the 25th Anniversary of the end of Sailor Stars and the anime itself.

Rated: T - Romance/Spiritual - Words: 749 - Mamoru C./Darien S./Tuxedo Kamen, Usagi T./Serena/Bunny/Sailor Moon

A/N: This story is set during episode 200 of the original 1992 anime.

This fic was incredibly inspired by the essay 'mamoru's confession' available on isshou-ni DOT net

/essay_

Many thanks to AReptileDysfunction for beta reading this fic for me. You can check out Reptile's work under the names areptiledysfunction1107 on tumblr and A_Reptile_Dysfunction on Ao3.

/works/34769734/chapters/86575063

The waves were gentle and the night was still without a breeze. The promise of spring had softened the winter air, leaving it pleasantly cool. The street lamps cast the stone lookout in soft violets and midnight blues. They stood alone upon the structure's precipice, looking up to the night sky.

He wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed since the battle had ended. Hours? Days? It didn't really matter to him.

All that mattered was that he was here… with her…

"Mamo-chan…?"

Mamoru lowered his gaze, locking upon sparkling cerulean eyes that put the stars above to shame.

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?" She asked softly.

"Yeah…" He replied simply.

She enveloped his arm in hers, sending a gentle warmth through him.

"Really?"

Her embrace was tight, as if she were reassuring herself he was truly there. There was also a slightly desperate tone to her voice, and it was a moment before she raised her head so he could see her face, a soft pink hue adorning her cheeks.

"Yeah." He repeated, hoping he sounded reassuring.

Her hold on his arm tightened slightly. "How much?" Her words were almost a plea.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Vaguely, he wondered if, not for the first time, he was being dense, insensitive, or both. At the same time, though, the question did seem pretty redundant; at least to him.

"Come on, how much?" She half pouted, a distinct rabbit-like quality to her features.

"Well…" He began.

He closed his eyes and collected himself for a moment.

He was holding the hand and guiding the hip of a princess as they danced across the masquerade floor.

He was inhaling the delicious aroma of freshly cooked curry.

He was hearing a beautiful maiden cry out: "I want to protect everyone… And that includes my beloved Mamo-chan."

He was tasting soft, sweet, tender lips as he lay in his bed; fading away amidst a living nightmare.

He was seeing a pink and silver ring sparkle on a delicate finger.

And he was… nowhere. Unable to feel anything. Surrounded only by cold, empty darkness, accompanied only by a horrible, bone-chilling laugh…

… But not anymore.

Now he was here.

Alive.

With her.

He gazed back into those starry, sapphire eyes, his own slightly welling with tears. A lifetime of holding himself together, of keeping himself controlled, was all that kept his voice from trembling. He spoke evenly, but deliberately softer. He didn't just want to reassure her. He wanted her to know. He wanted her to understand. Understand in a way she never had before, the same way he had never truly, completely, understood before that day in the airport. Before he'd learned what it was to exist in a realm without her.

"... It feels wonderful to be with you."

She gave a small laugh, and an even smaller smile. Like him, her eyes quivered with unshed tears of joy.

They stood then, gently grasping each other's arms, utterly lost in one another, illuminated by soft silver light. Silver light cast by the large, bright full Moon that neither noticed.

I am Mamoru Chiba. I am 19, and in my third year of university. I'm a bit too reserved and sometimes insensitive too. But the truth is, I am the secret warrior, Tuxedo Mask…. And I am eternally lucky to be loved by…

They both leaned in.

… Sailor Moon.

A/N: The above linked essay was SO GOOD that I was dead ass considering just turning it into a fic but ultimately felt uncomfortable about using someone else's work that way without their consent. Instead, I opted to use it as loose inspiration, taking a few ideas as I revisited this, one of my favourite moments from my all time favourite season of one of my favourite things ever.

And since this marked the end of the anime as well as Stars specifically I felt it appropriate to revisit highlights from across the series and not stay confined to Stars alone.