Epilogue

"Endymion? What kind of a name is that?"

Usagi and I were splayed out on a blanket under the warm sunshine, the breeze dancing through the grass and tickling our bare feet. The air carried that special energy found only in blissful Sunday mornings shared between lovers. I laid on my back with my head propped under one arm, the other playing lazily with Usagi's golden hair. She rested her head against my stomach as she gazed at the clouds. Life couldn't get much better than this.

"I don't know, I thought it was kind of mysterious and romantic," she mumbled, embarrassed.

"Were there any other names that you remember?"

"Hmm," she mused as she considered my question. "One time I think you were called Peter."

I crinkled my nose. "Peter? Really?"

"Hey, I didn't pick the names!" She giggled. "What about me? Do you remember any of my names?"

"Only one," I said, brushing her cheek with my thumb. "Serenity."

Her eyes sparkled. "Serenity," she repeated reverently. "It sounds so... regal."

It was my turn to chuckle. "I think it suits you."

She leaned into my caress and smiled, content.

"What else do you remember?" I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity.

"Not much," she said thoughtfully. "I have a few vivid memories, but they come and go. Mostly I just remember how you felt. The feeling of being with you. It always felt like coming home." Her voice was dreamy and it drifted over me like the wind.

"And how do you feel now?" I asked.

"Like I never want to leave home again."

We laid there for another moment, just soaking in the sunshine and each other's presence.

"What do you think it means?" she wondered aloud.

I had been pondering this same question for the past week, ever since I figured out what had been happening to Usagi and me. I hadn't come to any definitive conclusions, but I knew I was never going to let her go.

"I'm not entirely sure. I think you and I are connected somehow." I ran my fingers down her arm until they found hers and interlaced. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, I continued. "I think you were right. I believe we were predestined to find each other. Some force in the universe has inextricably bound my soul to yours, and I will spend every life I am given trying to find my way back to you."

Her eyes glistened as she gazed at me, cheeks flushed with emotion. My heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. I could get used to that look.

She propped herself up on one arm to look at me directly.

"Mamo-chan," she began seriously, "I don't want to wait to be with you. I've been waiting for you forever. How am I supposed to go on like normal? How can I go to school and live with my parents and be a regular fifteen year old when I already know how wonderful it is to share my life with you?"

"I don't think you're ready to live with me yet, Odango. You couldn't even keep my three simple rules."

She smacked be briskly on the arm. "You know what I mean, baka!"

A smile stretched across my face at our familiar banter. But I knew she wanted a serious answer.

"Truthfully, I don't think of it that way. From what I remember, it seemed like we could never be together freely. It was always forbidden or there was some kind of tragedy that tore us apart. I think this is finally our chance to enjoy every minute of it. To not have to hide. To take each day as it comes and live it to the fullest. We will have forever, Usako. And it's only going to get better from here."

She bent down and kissed me, her lips feather soft against mine, sending a jolt of electricity coursing through every nerve of my body. I grasped her hips firmly and pulled her down to lay against me, suppressing a groan. The things you do to me, woman.

"I love you," I confessed.

"I love you too, Mamo-chan."

"Well, now that that's settled," I grinned, "I just have one last question."

"What?"

"When is your birthday?"

The End