Moon Victory Afterglow

By Major Mike Powell III

Everything hurt. Everything hurt. For the Sailor Senshi, every single fiber of their beings, every last single inch of their Sailor Fuku-clad bodies was wracked with pain. Even thinking hurt...especially in Minako, Sailor Venus' case...not to reinforce the "dumb blonde" stereotype. Ami, Sailor Mercury, too was having the headache nightmares were made of.

The soul-scarring screech upon death of that mad witch, Queen Beryl, was worse than every pain the Sailor Senshi had ever felt, however.

That last defiant scream of demise was the sound that made Rei, Ami, Minako and Makoto, Sailors Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus open their eyes wide to stare at the long winter night sky of Antarctica, where their final settling of the score with Queen Beryl took place.

It was colder than the Devil's heart, but...there was something that made the four Sailor Guardians' eyes slowly open out of the death-like state that Queen Beryl's Generals and the very environment rendered them into.

There was a kind of...warmth...the pulsing of a heart..."SAILOR MOON!" Came the four simultaneous cries of the Sailor Senshi as the reality of what just happened dawned upon them.

Everything hurt but they rose from the biting-cold snow they lay on to connect eyes with each other to confirm that they were all in one piece first.

Minako's hand curled into a fist and she groaned after shouting out "Is everyone alright?!" to her comrades, her beautiful blue eyes immediately scanning the barren area for Usagi.

"I'm...up...!" Came Ami's voice.

"I'm sore everywhere...! But I'm up!" Came the call from Makoto.

"I'm fucked up, but I'm up!"

"Mars, language!"

"Sorry!" Came Rei's call, then Ami's correction.

"Sailor Moon! Damn it, does anyone have eyes on Usagi-chan?!" Minako called out, demanding, commanding for an answer as was her status as the leader of the Inner Senshi.

Then, Minako gasped and her eyes shot wide open like saucers. She breathed "Oh my God!" and then, against her legs screaming at her in agony, she scrambled to get up and hurry over to where her "twin" lay in a small mound of snow and ice, immobile.

"USAGI-CHAN!" Minako cried out in shock and worry and dread as she collapsed by Sailor Moon's side shortly after reaching her. The other Senshi all gasped and hurried over to their fallen leader, still aching all over yet fighting on to reach their leader, their beloved friend, the person that united them, that brought out the absolute best out of them.

"Oh my God...Usagi-chan...!" "Usagi-chan! Damn...!" "Odango, you better not...!" Ami cupped her hands to her mouth, Makoto punched the snow beside her, Rei grit her teeth and swore under her breath.

Minako fought back tears as she looked closely at Usagi's face, her gloved hand slowly yet steadily finding the odango blonde's own lying gently on the snow.

The red bow-wearing blonde intertwined their fingers and squeezed gently while Rei moved both of her hands to tenderly cradle Usagi's other hand.

Ami gulped and slightly shyly, timidly moved a hand to softly caress Usagi's knee while Makoto moved hers to gently squeeze the blonde's opposite knee.

"Come on...Usagi-chan...wake up. Wake up. You won. You won the day. You gotta wake up...we'll all go home together...we'll cook you dinner." Minako let her tears slip from her eyes. She knew there was no point in holding them back now. Her voice broke slightly.

"Just...wake up...we can't...have dinner as a family without you...at the head of the table...please…"

Minako, Rei, Ami and Makoto closed their eyes, feeling tears of their own threatening to spill.

There was then a pulse in their hearts. Warmth spread through their aching bodies, a caress-like feeling that soothed away the pains of battle.

"...girls...everyone...why...are you crying? I don't like it...when my sweet friends cry...Mina-chan, you said...dinner together? I'm starving...! And...I'm sore all over...can we sleepover at Rei-chan's? Her living room is big and cozy~" Usagi's voice caressed the Senshi's ears.

They opened their eyes and smiled like never before.

Usagi returned the smiles with a sweet one of her own, gently squeezing Minako and Rei's hands holding hers.

The sheer tenderness and love in Usagi's gaze made the Sailor Guardians' hearts melt and shooed away every last ounce of pain they felt from earlier.

"Yes, Usagi-chan. Let's go home. Rei-chan happily volunteers her place~" Minako hiccuped after a giggle and let off a slight little sob. Usagi groaned as she slowly, steadily sat back up, cradled in Minako and Rei's arms as support, then she was engulfed in a four-way Sailor Senshi embrace.

The odango blonde gently let go of Minako and Rei's hands and moved then to tenderly caress Ami's blue locks and cradle Makoto's flushed cheek wet with tears.

"Let's go, girls. I've had just about enough of this place. I'm freezing, teehe~" Usagi said with a giggle and her beloved family joined her in her laughter.

Really, the only thing the Sailor Senshi felt at that moment...was warmth.

~The End~

Shoutout to YuriChan220. Thanks to her kindly asking me to write this based on the cover picture there, this story exists. :3 Figured it was good enough for her, tis good enough for here. LOL

If you liked, leave me a nice, nice, wonder~ful, long and productive review, and thanks again, Yuri-chan~ You always give me such nice pictures to put into story form~ "O"

Thank you for reading and seeya'll next time, whenever, wherever that is.

EDIT: STOP. STOP. STOP ASKING FOR A LEMON TO THIS STORY! STOP ASKING FOR THAT! THE REVIEW BOX IS NOT FOR REQUESTS! I WILL NOT WRITE A LEMON FOR THIS STORY!

Semper-Fi! Carry on!