Silver Millennium

By: Amber Evans Potter

Chapter 1: The Choice

Summary: When Queen Serenity's spell goes haywire, the entire population of Earth must watch the chain of events that led to the Moon Kingdom's destruction. Sequel to Lunar Expedition.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. All rights reserved to Naoko Takeuchi and everyone else who owns the rights to Sailor Moon – people who do not include me. Oh, how I lament the tragedy!

Author's Note: hello and welcome to the sequel of Lunar Expedition, the story of Silver Millennium. Like it's predecessor, SM is going to be pretty long so I hope you're ready for a huge story.

Thank you so much for all of the kind words! I was shy to write again after such a long time but all of the reviews and encouragement has been so welcoming, I feel like I'm right back in the old days. I know the world is a scary, tough place right now. Thank you for helping to bring an escape for all of us for a little while.

Usagi bit her nail as she watched the television set without seeing it. The reality of the past few days was still sinking in, distracting her in a way that nothing else had quite managed to. She'd returned home to find her mother nearly frantic with panic and worry. Naru spent the night with her, speaking softly into the early hours of the morning. The freedom to speak about herself was still fresh, still exhilarating as Naru asked her questions she had never thought someone would ask her. How long had she been Sailor Moon? Why her? How long had Usagi kept it a secret from her? Had she ever been in a terrible fight where she had killed someone? Did Mamoru know? Did anyone else know? How had she come to be a princess in the first place? Did she remember anything from her past life?

It had never seemed enchanting to her before, her past. On the contrary, as a young girl before she became Sailor Moon, the thought of being a beautiful, romantic princess from a far away land had seemed wonderful and special. When she found out that it was not a fantasy but a reality, the magic of it all dissipated. She remembered what it was like to be a princess, the restrictiveness of her decisions and movements, the expectations of her abilities and powers, the limitations on her choices for a suitable partner. For a long time, all she could focus on, when she bothered to think about her previous life, was that Endymion was forbidden to her.

That had been too painful to bear, but it was also just the tipping point of a lifetime of other constraints. Being a princess meant living in a glass cage, where she looked and felt free, but was in no way free. It felt strange to lie under her comforter with Naru, their arms intertwined, their voices hushed, hot breath on their faces as they whispered to each other with a flashlight beneath them to light their faces. It was difficult to remember all of that constraint when she felt warm and safe now. She told Naru a little bit, about her tumultuous birth during a youma attack, the murder of her Aunt Venus when she had been young, the first Sailor Moon that Usagi had ever heard of but never met—who no one knew about now—and the people, endless people, who always wanted something.

"Is she…Minako?" Naru asked when Usagi spoke of Sailor Venus, her twisted expression an attempt to understand the complicated narrative that Usagi wove for her. The memories were patchy and far away, although clearer now for reasons she couldn't fathom. Still, there were so many people that Naru had never and would never meet. They only existed now in Usagi's memory, a distant echo of the powerful people they had once been. "Is she that much older than you are…were?"

"Sailor V was Minako's aunt," she explained softly. "Senshi are…hereditary, but they are a broken-off branch. Senshi aren't meant to have children. They're meant to fight and protect their siblings, who rule their planets, or their stars, sometimes. It depends on how powerful they are. Our solar system chose Earth as its center, since Earth has the most inhabitants and life is easy to sustain here. In the other planets, life is more difficult to sustain and the population is much smaller. They had to use technology to stay alive and to travel around, but for Earth…life is effortless. That's why other planets protect Earth, and the moon used to be the gate to Earth."

"It's so cool that you remember all of this," Naru whispered, grinning at her in the dark. The flashlight lit up her face in an odd way, casting long shadows over her eyes and twisting her expressions. When Naru had first asked questions, her expression had remained guarded and doubtful of Usagi's claims and descriptions. Now, however, she was enthralled by the stories, eager to hear all that Usagi had to remember. And she remembered a great deal, far more than she had realized. All of the Senshi had their own mix of memories and it seemed more painful than fun to recount those memories.

"It's not something I'm happy to know," Usagi admitted softly. "I remember things that no one else does. Probably, no one else remembers that far back, our history was very long. My family isn't originally from the moon."

"They're not?" Naru said, scooting closer and lacing their fingers together as she listened. Usagi smiled and squeezed her hand. It felt strange to talk so freely with Naru, finally. When she had become Sailor Moon, she had been so proud, she could barely keep her mouth shut about it. When she had found out she was Princess Serenity…not just found out, felt it, remembered it, all of the excitement of that revelation had evaporated. Being the princess wasn't something she had actually wanted, now that she had it. Being the princess meant responsibility, sacrifice, people dying to protect her, strength when she wanted nothing more than to hide and cry…still, there was a strange appeal to confiding in Naru.

"No," she said. "We're from another galaxy, a distant one. It's called the Shining Galaxy, the birth place of the Silver Crystal. I don't know much about it, just that we brought a lot of change wit us. We were running away from…something. It's hard to remember now, but we took the other three Senshi with us–Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune–so that they could guard us from outer space. They were our personal guard in the other galaxy but when we got to our solar system, the planets closer to the sun vowed loyalty to us too and became the new guard, the Inner Guard. Since our guard was more powerful and able to fight outside threats, they became the Outer Guard."

She licked her lips, remembering. "When we came here, to this galaxy, it was…quiet. Peaceful. Brand new in so many ways. It was exciting to feel safe, finally, and to start life without the complications of a really dense society somewhere else. We weren't alone anymore, for the first time in a long time."

"You talk differently when you talk about back then," Naru said, shivering slightly. "Your voice changes…you say things in a different way, use different words. It's weird." She squeezed Usagi's hand. "Not in a bad way. It just doesn't sound like you."

"I'm sorry," Usagi said with a startled laugh. Did she? She hadn't thought she could do that…but if Naru said it than it must have been true.

"Don't be sorry," Naru said. "It just…it's a different you. When you talk like that, you're someone different."

"I was someone different," Usagi said softly. "Things were very different for me then. I knew more things. It scares me when I remember things I didn't know I had forgotten."

"What was it like?" Naru said. Her tone was purposefully casual. The eagerness in her eyes came through, though, and Usagi knew that Naru was dying from curiosity. Something in Usagi's face must have been showing something she hadn't planned to share because Naru squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Usagi closed her eyes and frowned slightly. How to describe everything she knew and remembered to someone who had no basis for comparison? The Moon Kingdom had been a vast, magical place, even in her own memory. A warm, gentle, peaceful place with parties every night, with joy and laughter…and pain. So much pain that no one else saw, no one else had to experience but her and the other Senshi. Usagi had never lacked the words to describe an experience to Naru before because they had always shared so much of their lives and experiences. Being Sailor Moon had put a definite wedge between them, creating a difference that had never been quite bridged, but Naru was her best friend. She loved her fiercely and wanted, very badly, for her to understand what it had been like. If no one else could, Naru would.

"It was a beautiful place," she said. "Beautiful and sad. There was…an artificiality to the moon. Earth is different. The life on Earth, it's natural, abundant…plants and animals grow here the way they never could on the moon. We had a dome to sustain atmosphere there, artificial gardens and water running throughout to create a sort of oasis in the desert of the moon, but it was nothing like it is here.

"There were vast fields of flowers there, and buildings with many rooms. The hallways had paintings, beautiful images from around the galaxy, even beyond our galaxy to remind us of where we came from. Far off places that no one who saw them remembered or had ever seen before. There were portraits of our ancestors, a shrine for the Sailor Moons of the past. Becoming a Senshi cut you off from your family, it made you something else, so when you died you had to go somewhere different. Your rank changed, you became a representative of your kingdom, equal to your queen…it didn't always work out."

She didn't know all of the details. Her mother had had a twin once, an ancient Sailor Moon. Something had gone wrong. Something her Aunt V had never forgiven herself for, not even the day she died.

"There were enormous flying ships that flew from the moon to other planets. The Senshi, when they had trained for many years, could teleport from place to place. We couldn't work out how to use that technology for big groups of people so most people used ships the size of palaces. The smaller ones were cargo ships. They looked like comets against the night sky." She opened her eyes, seeing for a moment, the sky as it had been back then. Brilliant and bright, stars everywhere, the light of the blue Earth before her. She could almost touch it…she could almost feel herself there. The warm breeze of Earth, smelling of the sea and full of life. She shuddered slightly at the memory.

"What happened there?" Naru whispered softly. Usagi reached up to wipe at her eyes, smiling a little.

"There was a terrible battle," she said. "No one survived. Not even me."

Usagi did not go to school the next day. She was supposed to. She had put on her uniform, rolled up her long socks and adjusted her hair three times, followed Naru all the way to the front gates before a nagging, deep need stopped her. She put her hand against the gate for a long moment, staring in at the distracted faces of her classmates. It could have been any other day, except for the tension in the air. It was difficult to ignore all of the events of the past few days but the students seemed determined to return to normal.

A group of their friends stood off to one side, observing them curiously as Naru looked back for her. "I can't go today," Usagi said, barely able to speak around the dread in her throat. "I need to go."

"Are you okay?" Naru said, lowering her voice as she returned to her side. "Is something…going on? Secret stuff?"

"No," Usagi said, her voice still tight. "I just…I have to see Mamoru. I can't be here right now. I'm sorry." Without another word, she turned and ran, her eyes clenched against pain she didn't know what to do with.

Naru called after her but Usagi didn't wait, running as fast as she could until her lungs were burning, and still she ran. She knew that Mamoru would be heading towards the university right now and the terror of not finding him there, that he would be somewhere unreachable, seized her heart and wouldn't let go. She ran towards his apartment and nearly sobbed in relief when she saw him exiting the front doors. He stopped when he saw her and then immediately opened his arms for her to crash into him. She did sob when she was there, clutching at him and holding on tightly as she cried.

"Usako, it's okay," Mamoru said to her, holding her close as she began to tremble. He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly, soothing one hand up and down her back. "It's okay, I'm right here. I'm safe. It's okay."

It took a long time for Usagi to calm down, more than she wanted to admit, but by the time she'd calmed down, Mamoru had walked her to the park and sat down with her, running his hands gently up and down her back to soothe her. She looked around slowly, aware that other people were watching and whispering about them. She bit her lip and looked back up at him. Mamoru hated public displays of affection and often became uncomfortable when she would grab him or try to kiss him in public. Even holding his arm had been a bit of a stretch, where he would glance around and remain slightly tense. Now though, he had eyes only for her, his gaze warm and kind as he smiled at her.

"What's wrong?" he said gently. "You should be in class."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know you have to go, you have class too. I just…" she stopped, biting her lip. The rush of anxiety and fear overwhelmed her again and wordlessly, she pressed her face into his chest and held on. He hugged her even as she began to shake, resting his face against her hair for a long moment. "I was so afraid you would be gone."

"I know," he said. "I'm here, I didn't go anywhere."

"I thought someone took you, or something happened," Usagi said, tears in her eyes again. "I don't want to live like this, I don't want to always worry that something's happened to you. Why does this always have to happen? Why can't everyone just…leave us alone?"

"Because we are responsible for them," Mamoru said, a bit sadly. Usagi's lips twisted down in an angry scowl but she froze when Mamoru lifted her chin and kissed her. It felt like a tiny spark of light as she closed her eyes and melted against him. When he drew back, she felt calmer, lighter. Opening her eyes, she stared at him with tear-thick lashes as he smiled down at her. "We're always going to be in danger. That's just how it is for us. We need to be more proactive about it, fight back. Protect each other."

Usagi nodded slowly, resting her cheek against his shoulder. She felt better just from being close to him and the pressure on her chest eased. Opening her eyes, she reached out for his hands and entwined their fingers. Mamoru wasn't looking at her anymore, staring off into the trees with a focused expression on his face. She stared at him, really looking at him. He looked tired, bags under his eyes and a slight tightness around the corners of his mouth. When had he begun to look so stressed? Had she not been paying attention or was this something new?

"What's wrong?" she said.

"Nothing," Mamoru said. It was a reflex. He glanced back at her and grimaced. "I haven't been sleeping well. Nightmares."

"About…Silver Millennium?" Usagi asked softly.

"About Crystal Tokyo, actually," Mamoru admitted. "I keep seeing Chibi Usa appearing and disappearing. Begging me to help but I'm trapped somewhere. Seeing that youma, either killing her or helping her."

"I wonder what that means," Usagi murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. For some reason, knowing he wasn't agonizing over something that had happened in their past made her feel better. It meant that their path forward to the future wasn't help back by regrets. Or at least not for her. She didn't regret what had happened in their past lives. They did the best they could with the restraints of their stations and the people that were around them. Being upset about what happened changed nothing in the end.

"I was also worried about whatever is happening in the American compound," Mamoru admitted. "If those people are really my parents, and they were exposed to the Silver Crystal enough time to expand their life spans, it means that they were in hiding somewhere. I never saw them when we were in Elysium."

"Isn't Elysium a temple?" Usagi said. Her memory of Elysium in particular was patchy, Mamoru's nearly perfect. They had talked about it many times and discovered that she had remembered things wrong about that place. It might have been some kind of energy guarding it from memory. It was mysterious in so many ways that Usagi didn't understand, even though she was starting to. Something was changing and she didn't like it.

"Yes, it's a temple, I'm surprised you remember that," Mamoru admitted. "Elysium is the palace but it was originally designed as a temple to worship the sun. When the Golden Crystal was produced from my family's bloodline, everyone assumed it was a manifestation of the sun's power instead of the Earth's. If Elysium rejected them or if they didn't stay there, it could mean they're not really them."

"Or it could mean staying there was too painful," Usagi said. Mamoru's face twitched. He stayed still for another moment before he turned to face her, resting his face in her hair. Against her head, he grunted.

"Usako, what do I do? I want to stay here with you, protect you. But…I want to know. If it's really them…."

Usagi reached around to hug him, squeezing her eyes shut. Family was such a difficult subject for Mamoru. He never spoke of his parents, or the accident that killed them. He sometimes spoke of the orphanage where he grew up, his friends like Kazuo, but often in the present tense.

"You have to go to them," she admitted. Mamoru straightened up but she squeezed him tighter. "Listen, I know you want to argue with me. I know we talked about this and how you should stay with me because it's safer, but nowhere is safe. Even this peace is temporary. While we still can, you need to go, with protection, and see if they're real."

"Are you sure?" he whispered. "I hate to leave you alone. I know how much you hate it."

"Sometimes, we have to be alone," she said. "I need to get stronger. You said it yourself, we can't be defensive anymore. We need to take control of our destiny or we're doomed to follow our fate."

"Are you sure?" he said again, cradling her face. "I don't know how long we'll be apart."

"I lost you for over a thousand years," Usagi said, laughing as she cried. "A little while apart is nothing if I know we're going to be together for the rest of our lives." She moved up to kiss him, surprising them both. "Just be careful."

"Always," Mamoru smiled. "Should I call the girls?"

"I will, just wait a minute," she said. Standing, she walked a little away to compose herself and then called each of the Senshi. It felt like their normal lives were miles away. How many times had she sunk into her present, forgetting everything that came before, only to have her world shaken over again by something she couldn't foresee or control? If Chibi Usa was any hint about the future, it sounded like the fighting would never end.

Usagi sat with Mamoru until they came, holding each other and not speaking as they watched the trees swaying in the wind. Knowing they had all the time in the world to be together didn't lessen the feeling of time running out for them. Usagi didn't want to think this would be the end for them, she just couldn't. Mamoru's prophetic dreams had been wrong before but they'd almost always been right. She didn't want to think that their actions could lead to the disappearance of their perfect future in Crystal Tokyo.

The Senshi came into the park, one at a time, their expressions glum. Usagi remembered belatedly that there was a quiz this morning. Minako and Makoto wore their school uniforms but Ami came dressed in a pale blue sundress and didn't wear her reading glasses. Had she…skipped school? With a start, Usagi realized she hadn't checked in with any of them after the fighting. Were they okay?

Mamoru kissed the top of her head, bringing her back to the present. Taking a deep breath, Usagi focused on what had to be done. There wasn't time for everything she wanted to do.

"Mamoru needs to go to America, to see his parents," Usagi explained. "I need to send at least two of you with him to keep him safe."

"I can travel faster alone," Mamoru said.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep if I have to watch you board a plane alone again," Usagi admitted. That got him to be quiet again. "I know it's a lot to ask but I don't think we have time to stay hidden anymore. Ami said it last night, we can't just be defensive. We need to be proactive."

"You've learned a lot, Usagi," Luna said, bowing her head. "I'm glad."

"I'll go," Minako said. "As the leader of the Senshi, I can represent us and coordinate. And I know English fluently. Besides, I don't have anything here to hold me. My parents won't care if I'm gone and I don't have any friends other than all of you." Rei glared at her but said nothing. "It's true and we all know it. My disappearance isn't going to be felt the way Usagi's would be."

"By that logic, I should go too," Rei said. "My English isn't the best but you're going to need firepower."

"It should be me," Ami interrupted. "I put up the barrier so I can diagnose what's wrong from there. Michiru and Setsuna have been helping but my presence there can be more directly helpful."

"It has to be me," Makoto said quietly. This got them all to look at her. Makoto's face was red, her eyes downcast, her hands shaking. Usagi immediately went to hug her but Makoto waved her off. "No, I can do this."

"But…the plane," Usagi said.

"No time for stupid phobias," Makoto said with a sharp laugh. Reaching up a trembling hand, she wiped at her face. "Rei and Ami need to stick around for exactly what they just said: if the barrier is fucked, Usagi's going to need Ami right there. And Rei can do her psychic thing to sense when enemies are coming. Useless if they're in America. You're right, Rei. They need your firepower." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm strong but I can't help with the barrier or foretelling when something dangerous is going to fuck with us. Minako's the boss and I'm the muscle. Everyone'll leave Mamoru alone."

"She's right," Ami said softly. "But Makoto…the plane. It's going to be a very long flight and I can't guarantee it'll be comfortable. With the barrier, there have been so many disruptions to the magnetic field and planes have reported all kinds of–,"

"Fuck, don't tell me that!" Makoto said, her face going pale. "It's hard enough! But I have to do it. Just tell me when we have to do it."

"Tomorrow," Artemis said.

"Why tomorrow?" Usagi said, startled.

Artemis and Luna exchanged glances before Artemis sighed. "Because of what Ami just said. Various airports are discussing closing international and national travel. Private channels are talking about closing tomorrow. It has to be now."

"Oh god," Makoto groaned, her hands clenching and unclenching.

"We can do this," Minako said, moving to hug her tightly. "We'll go now. I know it's not ideal but there's no time like the present, right?"

"Right," Makoto said, sounding queasy.

"Right," Mamoru said, smiling. "And thank you for coming with me. I'm not…eager to get on a plane either."

"Just don't get mind controlled again," Makoto said. "Or I'll have to hit you!"

Ami laughed, surprising all of them. Then they all laughed. What more was there to do but laugh? It was a devastating situation and the joke wasn't funny. It had been too recent, too horrible, but if they didn't laugh Usagi was going to start crying and maybe never stop. Even now she was struggling not to burst into uncontrollable, terrified sobbing.

"Stop, you're going to make her cry," Rei said impatiently. "It's all going to be okay so just get going. We've got things covered here." She gave Minako a long, intense look before she walked purposefully away from them. Usagi sniffled (she'd teared up only a little) and watched Minako sigh and follow her.

Usagi opened her mouth to ask where they were going when she was hit with an odd sense of vertigo all at once. Watching Minako walking away, in the dappled sunlight of the familiar park, faded into Sailor Venus bathed in the vibrant, cold light of the moon with a sea of stars behind her. Rei was Sailor Mars in this vision, her left arm in a sling, blood dripping from both legs as Sailor Venus chased after her.

"M-M-Mars! M-M-Mars!" Venus's voice was alien too, timid and terrified in a way Minako never was.

Nausea came over her as she swayed, Mamoru's arms a painful vice and then…nothing. The leaves overhead were the only flashes of color and light, Rei was walking away slowly and Minako followed with no urgency.

What was that? Usagi looked up at Mamoru, who was reassuring in his smile. He hadn't seen what she'd seen. Or had he?

"What was that about?" Makoto asked Ami. Ami gave her an odd look, reaching down to pick up Luna to pet over her ears. It was clear they were all tense and stressed.

"You don't remember?" Ami asked.

"Remember what?"

"It's…they're just going to talk, I'll tell you later," Ami said, nodding to Usagi and Mamoru. "I'll be back, I need to make the arrangements for you. Makoto, if you come with me I'll tell you…what I know about that."

The two walked away with Artemis following them, Ami's voice low.

"It's alright," Mamoru said to Usagi when they were alone. "That's been happening to me all day." She looked down at his bare hand touching her's. The psychometry. Had he felt what she felt, seen what she saw? But she'd never had that before. He had flashes of the past, almost like a flashback where he relived a moment or a feeling. She had always been the one blocked from seeing or experiencing any of her past. "It's okay. It happened a long time ago. You don't have to feel that way anymore."

A wave of love overcome her as she turned to hide against his chest, squeezing him in a tight hug. "What's happening?" she whispered.

"We're remembering," he said into her hair, squeezing her tight. "Everything is happening faster now. Whatever your mother used to suppress the memories of the Earth people after Beryl is lifting from us too. We're going to remember more and more as whatever she did faded."

"How do you know?" Usagi asked, lifting her head to stare at him.

"I…had a nightmare about it," Mamoru said uncomfortably. "I didn't want to bring it up…I'm sorry." He squeezed her. Usagi opened her mouth, to be hurt, to yell at him about hiding things from her, but she closed her mouth and simply hugged him. They just didn't have time…he knew that better than she did. No time for feelings, or fears, or choices they couldn't go back to change.

"Call me every day," she whispered. "And don't hide these things from me. I can take it. I want to be there for you the way you are for me."

He squeezed her tighter. "You are," he whispered. "You're stronger than me. I think we've proven that plenty of times." He grinned and leaned down, kissing her fast. Too fast for her to respond. Usagi shivered a little, smiling back. "Just remember, when this is all over, it's going to be you and me. We're going to have our whole lives together. Married. Happy. We'll get through all of this together."

"Together," she repeated quietly, smiling up at him.

Some way from Usagi and Mamoru, Rei led Minako to the edge of the lake. It wasn't out of the way completely but there was a cluster of trees and some hedges that obscured them from the others. Rei resisted the tuck her hair or straighten her uniform, all those small nervous habits she'd broken over the years so as to seem untouchable to those who gossiped about her in school.

Minako looked good in the new uniform. She looked good in everything she wore and seemed only to grow more beautiful each day. Her vision of Minako had never been obscured from her understanding of her past life: Venus had always been beautiful, unattainable and distant, even when she'd wanted her. Whatever was happening now with Minako felt somehow different than that. Usagi and Mamoru had their love that transcended lives and sense, but the way she felt about Minako was different than how Mars had felt for Venus so long ago.

"I know we didn't talk about my leaving," Minako admitted once they were alone. A cool breeze pulled their hair towards the lake, obstructing their faces. For a moment, Rei could pretend a thousand years had not passed and Venus leaving her behind was acceptable, didn't touch her. She smiled and brushed her hair from her face, moving closer. Minako mattered. Minako leaving mattered.

"We don't have a choice," Rei said. "Usagi has to be protected and we both knew we would be separated eventually. Many times." She took a breath. "The prince and princess always come first."

Minako nodded but said nothing, watching her. They had never lacked topics to discuss but neither seemed willing to break the silence between them.

"Be careful," Rei said. She turned to walk away.

"That's it?" Minako asked. "That's…" even as she stared at her, she only saw Mars's disapproving face. Her scowl. Her disappointment. It didn't matter, dammit. They were not who they had once been. Minako was better than that person. Moving forward, she reached for Rei's hand.

Rei let her, body half turned away, hiding behind her hair and her cool exterior and everything that Minako wanted to burst through. Taking her other hand, she turned Rei to face her. "Tell me you're going to miss me."

"Arrogant," Rei muttered. "I'm going to miss you."

"And you're going to think of me all the time," Minako said, starting to smile.

"All the time is a lot," Rei said, glaring at her.

"And when you go to bed, you're going to send me a message that says good night," Minako insisted, tugging her closer. Rei came to her right away, no resistance, and wrapped her arms firmly around her. Minako felt a small thrill at their proximity, her heart thudding as she felt Rei take charge, stroking her hair from her shoulder and gently kissing the side of her neck.

"When I go to bed, I'll demand you tell me you're alive," Rei said, "and then insist you tell me everything that is happening there. And I'll stop you from talking about the Senshi and the Earth monarchs and everything to do with that, and tell me what you were doing, that you ate like you're supposed to, and where you're going to take me on a date when we meet again."

Minako swallowed tightly, resting her face against Rei's neck. She couldn't speak. Overcome with gratitude for this small proof that they weren't who they once were, Venus and Mars, mortal enemies forced to work together: they were just Minako and Rei, tentative in this new, small love that was growing between them. Human. Fragile. Yet somehow strong.

"I'll miss you," Rei said quietly. "Come back to me."

"If I can't, come find me," Minako whispered back, squeezing her. "Don't forget about me."

"As if it were possible to do that," Rei said. She didn't even look to see if the others saw them before leaning in to kiss her. Minako felt sensation burst in her chest, a warmth that felt endless flowing through her. It was like before but also better, with no guilt and no self-hatred or shame…just happiness. She and Rei hadn't talked about it to the others because it was so new but it had never been something they were scared to say. They knew they would be loved, and somehow that knowledge, that bond, made everything else okay.

"Just keep Mamoru alive and not brainwashed," Rei muttered.

"Don't ask for miracles," Minako said. "I'll do my best."