The final chapter! Sad I know, but that's the way life goes...or something...and this chapter almost made ME cry as I was writing it...of course, I was listening to clips from The Crow Score soundtrack so that might've had something to do with it...enough of my rambling...

Thanks to petiyaka, Ten'ousai, LectorAnonimus, aquaxeyes, iluvboys for reviewing last chapter! And petiyaka was first to review last chapter, so amnesia nymph's first reviewer streak is over. Sad, demo four chapters is impressive. Pudding to you all for reviewing! And thanks to all who wished me a happy birthday yesterday!

FYI: There is some torturing in this chapter, but it isn't that graphic...it's just...'shocking' is all.

And I still don't own the rights to Sailor Moon or the Crow. Sigh...sadness...

People once believed, that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead.

But sometimes, something so bad happens, that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest.

Then sometimes, just sometimes the crow could bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.

Michiru sat curled up on the hospital bed, tear stains marring her face. The door to the room was eased shut and Ami walked over to her friend. "Michiru-san, daijoubu?" she asked, not really expecting an answer. As expected, the Sea Senshi just curled up tighter, holding her arms around her knees. "You can't blame yourself for what happened Michiru-san. It could have happened to any of us," Ami said. She sighed softly when the older woman didn't respond. "Kaze-kun and Hotaru-chan are safe in Elysian. Helios has sealed the way as well."

Ami looked over and saw that the food had not been touched. "Michiru-san, you need to eat. If you don't you'll get weak."

"I am weak," Michiru whispered in a quiet voice. "I let that…that…that thing…" her voice cracked and fresh tears poured from her sea blue eyes. Her body shook and Ami set the chart down. She sat on the bed next to her friend and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"You are not weak Michiru-san. This past year has proven that. You are one of the strongest people I know."

"No I'm not!" Michiru insisted. "I'm weak…I'm weak…"

Ami sighed in defeat and rose to her feet. She grabbed the chart and opened the door. She looked up as a figure stood in front of her. "Setsuna-san."

"How is she?" the Time Senshi asked.

Ami bowed her head. "Not good."

Setsuna nodded and walked into the room, shutting the door behind her. She stared at the Sea Senshi silently for a minute. "So you're letting Damien win," she said finally. Michiru didn't move. "Oh I understand. He raped you so now you're just going to give up and let him win."

Michiru turned her head and glared at the eldest of the Senshi. "What do you know?" she demanded.

"More than you could imagine," Setsuna returned. "I've known Damien longer than you and the others have. I still remember him from the Silver Millennium." She lowered her gaze. "More than I want to," she whispered softly. Michiru didn't seem to hear.

"So?"

"So you're not the only one he's done this to," Setsuna returned.

Michiru frowned. "You mean…"

"It was the anniversary of the alliance between all our kingdoms. I was walking through the halls of the palace alone when he cornered me. He pulled me into a vacant room and raped me. Before he could leave, Endymion-sama came into the room. He immediately knew what happened and subdued Damien before he could escape. The guards came and took Damien away as Endymion-sama made sure I was all right…" she fell silent and bowed her head.

"You love him," Michiru realized.

Setsuna smiled, her head lowered. "I do love Endymion-sama…demo…he loves the Princess. I want him to be happy and if that means him being with the Princess, then that is fine with me." She bowed her head. "And I no longer could bear children since Damien attacked me."

"What happened to Damien?" Michiru queried, changing the subject back to Damien's past.

"He was banished from the kingdom under pain of death should he ever return. We never saw him again until now."

Michiru lowered her gaze from the Time Senshi. "Has Haruka come back yet?" she asked.

"Iie."

Michiru closed her eyes. "He's her brother, isn't he?"

"Hai. We never understood why a male was born first. Though it seems as though an outside force brought it about."

"Outside force?" Michiru repeated.

"The forces of Hell. Damien seeks to bring it to Earth. He once tried to during the Silver Millennium by gaining access to the throne of Uranus…"

"So he killed his mother and his father," Michiru figured.

Setsuna nodded. "His father returned as the Crow and tried to stop Damien, but he had discovered the Crow's weakness."

"Weakness? I've seen Haruka get shot, stabbed, and jump off of buildings without so much as a permanent scratch," Michiru said.

"The crow is her link between the world of the living and the realm of the dead," Setsuna explained. "If it dies, she becomes essentially mortal and will cease to exist in this world," the Time Senshi went on.

Michiru's eyes widened. "So…Haruka could be…" Setsuna closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "We have to go after her! We have to save her!"

"He'll be expecting that Michiru-san. Besides, we need to find the kids he's taken," the other woman said.

"They're at his building. I saw them when he moved me to…to his room…" she said softly.

"I'll let the others know. In the meantime, get some rest," Setsuna ordered. Michiru nodded and the Time Senshi left.

- - - - - - - - - -

Haruka opened her eyes and looked around. She was kneeling on the top floor of Damien's building, chained between two heavy stone pillars. She tried to move to a standing position but her body screamed in pain. A cold laugh met her ears and Haruka looked up at Damien.

"You're mortal now dear sister. You can die."

"I'll never die until you're dead," she spat at him.

Damien chuckled. "That is debatable." He shook his head in amusement as he began walking around the kneeling blonde. "Father was much the same way, both when he was living and as a Crow."

"Call it a family trait," she growled.

"Then shouldn't I have it as well?"

"You're a rat faced bastard who seriously needs to die," she informed him. "You never belonged in any family I've been a part of." She grinned. "I doubt even Chaos would've liked you."

Damien chuckled. "I'd forgotten how passionate you can get," he said. He walked over to a covered table. "Maybe we can fix that spirit of yours." Haruka watched as he pulled off the cloth, revealing vicious looking torture equipment. "This is for later," he said. He picked up a case and brought it over to Haruka. He knelt down and opened it, revealing a portable defib machine. He pulled off the paddles and charged them to the highest setting. "I wish they had this back in the Silver Millennium," he grinned.

Haruka glared at him and he pressed the cold metal against her skin. He activated the machine and her eyes slammed shut as her body violently jerked in the chains. The muscles on her neck stuck out like cords as she kept from crying out. After what seemed like an eternity to her he removed the paddles. She hung limply in the chains, her muscles refusing to obey her commands. She felt Damien grab her hair and lift her head.

"Was it good for you?" he smirked.

Haruka weakly spat into his eye. He glared at her, his eyes cold. "You'll pay for that," he vowed. He slammed the paddles into her again and turned them on. A scream was trapped in her throat as she jerked and writhed in the chains.

- - - - - - - - - -

Rei looked up as Michiru walked into the room. The five other Senshi and Seiya looked at her as she sat down. "You doing all right?" Seiya asked.

"I will be," she replied.

"Now we're just waiting on Yaten and Taiki. They went out to get food," Usagi explained. Michiru nodded.

They waited for several more minutes when the door suddenly crashed open. Taiki rushed in followed closely by Yaten. The silver haired Starlight had a small bundle in his arms. "What the hell are you two doing?" Seiya demanded.

Yaten set the bundle on the table and pulled off the cloth. The others stared in shock. "That's…that's…" Makoto stammered.

"The crow that's with Haruka," Taiki replied.

"It looks like it was shot," Ami said, pointing to a bullet wound in the bird's back.

"What do we do?" Minako asked.

"I don't know…I'm not a vet and this looks like it might have something more to do with the supernatural than medicine," Ami replied.

Rei picked up the dying bird and rose to her feet. She hurried out of the room. "YUUICHIRO!" she bellowed.

He came running out of their room. "Nani?"

"We have praying to do," she said. He nodded and they hurried down to one of the inner rooms of the shrine. Rei gently set the crow down on the floor near the altar and took several steps back. She knelt down and folded her hands, her eyes closing. She began chanting softly. Yuuichiro joined in, their voices blending together.

The others watched from the doorway. "What are they doing?" Minako whispered to the others.

"Praying to the gods for the crow to live," Setsuna said.

"Will it work?" Michiru asked.

"I don't know," Setsuna answered.

"Of course it will," Usagi said determinedly. "Of course it will…"

- - - - - - - - - -

Haruka felt the whip dig into her back again and again. Blood pooled around her knees, some of it nearly dry in spite of the large pool. Damien smiled. "You are stubborn, you know that? It only took me a day to break father. We're nearing the end of day two." He slammed the whip down once more.

"Do…I get…a gold…star?" Haruka whispered weakly.

Damien shook his head, clearly enjoying torturing Haruka. "How about a small break? My arm is actually tired." He tossed the whip away and left the room.

Haruka leaned back and stared up at the skylight. Flashes of memories appeared before her eyes…

Flash: Haruka carried Michiru into the bedroom, both their faces flushed from laughter and the small amount of alcohol they had had at their wedding. The blonde Senshi set the shorter woman on the bed and they kissed.

"I love you Michiru," Haruka whispered between kisses.

"I love you more," came the reply as the pair stared at each other, smiling…

Flash: "I want that one Daddy!" Mika exclaimed, pointing to a blue green stuffed monkey. Haruka smiled, her arm wrapped around Michiru as Mika and Kaze explored the toys in the store…

Flash: "Ready to go home little one?" Haruka asked with a big smile.

The little girl nodded enthusiastically. "Wanna race!" she exclaimed. Haruka smiled at the small girl…

Flash: He aimed the gun at Mika who looked at Haruka fearfully.

"Poppa…" she whimpered.

Fear rose in Haruka's eyes. "Don't hurt her! Please! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't hurt my daughter! Don't hurt…!" she exclaimed when a gunshot cut her off. Tears streamed down her face as the men holding Mika let her body drop to the floor. "Mika…" Haruka whispered. "MIKA!!" she bellowed in grief.

"I wouldn't worry," the man said, pointing the gun at her. "You'll be joining the whelp soon."

Haruka glared at the man, hatred and fury in her green eyes. "I'll kill you for what you've done," she growled.

"You can't kill me if you're dead," he smirked. He pressed the gun against her head and pulled the trigger. The men let Haruka's body fall to the floor, her arm falling on top of Mika's…

Flash: Haruka gently wiped away her tears. "Ashiteru yo."

Michiru's sea blue eyes looked into Haruka's loving teal eyes. "Ashiteru yo Haruka," she whispered…

Haruka blinked away the tears and her head fell forward. Please…whatever spirits or gods there really are please…give me the strength to save my loved ones from this psycho...that's all I ask before I die… she prayed.

- - - - - - - - - -

Rei continued to chant with her husband. This should have worked by now. This should have worked! Rei shouted silently. Nearly three days had passed since she and Yuuichiro had begun praying. She continued to pray, opening her eyes to stare at the injured bird. She frowned as a thought crossed her mind. She reached into her sleeve and pulled a slip of paper out. "Rin, pyo, toh, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen!" she chanted. "Akuryo Taisan!" she cried, hurling the talisman at the crow. It struck the bird and an evil looking black mist rose out of it. Yuuichiro backed away and Rei hurled another talisman at the mist, destroying it.

"What was that?" Usagi demanded.

"Evil," Rei whispered.

"Look!" Seiya exclaimed.

Everyone turned and saw the crow standing. It looked at them with its eyes before taking off into the air. Michiru smiled. "It…it worked…" she whispered.

"I never doubted Rei-chan!" Usagi said, hugging her raven-haired friend.

"Get off of me so we can go follow the crow and help Haruka-san!" Rei snapped, but a smile was on her face.

- - - - - - - - - -

Haruka lifted her head, a smile forming on her face. The wounds on her back began to heal as she felt renewed strength flood her body. She rose to her feet and pulled her arms together. The chains snapped and she tore the manacles off. She walked over to where the black duster lay and pulled it on.

"Ready for…" a voice began.

Haruka turned and smiled at Damien. "Hello dear brother," she grinned. "Ready for round two?" she asked. He pulled a gun out and shot her. "Try harder!" she ordered as she began walking towards him. He fired again. "Try again!" she laughed, still closing the gap between him and her. He emptied the clip but she didn't fall.

"How…this isn't possible!" he snapped.

"Anything's possible," Haruka countered. She slammed her fist into his face, sending him sliding across the floor. "I had a life here. And you stole it from me!" She kicked him in the gut as he tried to push himself up. He went flying across the room. "I had a beautiful daughter that would have grown up to be an incredible woman, but you stole that future from her!" She jumped up in the air and slammed her knee into his spine, smiling in grim satisfaction when she felt something snap. She stood and stared down as Damien tried to crawl away.

"I'll kill you, you bitch…I'll kill you dead!" he growled. "Do you hear me?" he shouted at her. "I'll kill you! I will live forever! Just watch! I will live forever!"

"Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as inexhaustible as well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless." She knelt down and rolled Damien over so he faced her. "You have lived long enough Damien. It's time for you to join the ranks of the dead," she told him.

"I'll never die! NEVER!" he shouted crazily. Haruka picked him up in her arms. "Let me go…let me go!"

"Hush little baby don't say a word…" she whispered. "Sister's gonna buy you a big black bird!" She rushed towards the window and crashed through it. She let go of Damien and he screamed as he fell to the earth. Haruka landed on a nearby roof and looked down as he hit the metal fence that surrounded his building. One of the black bars had pierced his heart.

The crow landed on the ledge and cawed softly. Haruka looked at the black bird and smiled faintly. "The hell you been?" she giggled, her mind and body as exhausted as her spirit. The crow cawed and she looked at it. "I understand…" she whispered. She turned and walked away.

- - - - - - - - - -

Neptune ran down the street, the others close behind. They skidded to a halt at the black fence and looked up at the foreboding building. "Haruka-san's in there?" Moon whispered. "Kowai!"

"Let's go!" Maker said.

"Do you hear that?" Healer asked, stopping Maker.

They frowned and looked up as a scream grew louder. "Shimatta!" they cried and dove out of the way. They heard a sickening squelching sound as a body became impaled on the black iron fence. They slowly walked over to the body.

"It's…it's Damien…" Neptune whispered in disbelief.

"Who could have done this?" Venus asked.

"Haruka-san," Fighter said. "Taking all the fun for herself of course."

"She could still be hurt inside," Pluto said. The others nodded and they ran into the building as Mercury contacted police.

Neptune remained outside, staring at Damien's corpse. "Are you all right?" Mercury asked.

"I don't know. I'm glad he's dead demo…he took so much from me. My wife, my daughter…my ability to have children…" she fell silent and looked down.

"Maybe, but you still have your son and Hotaru," Mercury pointed out.

Neptune nodded and looked up. She frowned when she saw a shape move on a nearby roof. "I need to walk around to clear my head…" she said. The Ice Senshi nodded and Neptune hurried away.

- - - - - - - - - -

Haruka went down to the street and stumbled into a cemetery. She walked through the gravestones and came to a stop at one. She fell to her knees and smiled. "I'm coming Mika," she whispered to the pale gray stone. She collapsed onto her back and stared up at the sky. Rain began falling, washing away the white and black paint. The crow cawed and she looked over at it. "Arigatou…" she whispered.

The crow cawed again, looking at the blonde. She smiled and closed her eyes. Her head fell to the side, several strands of hair falling in front of her eyes. The bird let out a last cry before flapping its wings. It rose into the air and flew into the lightening sky. Below, Haruka's body began to fade away.

- - - - - - - - - -

Michiru halted in front of Mika's grave and saw a black duster lying in the wet grass. She knelt down and picked it up. She frowned and looked around, hoping to see the blonde nearby or even the crow. "Haruka?" she called out. "Haruka…doko desu?" she whispered, bowing her head.

"She's not here," a small, familiar voice answered.

Michiru's eyes widened and she turned. She fell back, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Mi…Mika…" she whispered. Tears welled up in Michiru's eyes.

Mika walked forward and hugged her mother. "I missed you Mommy," she whispered, a tear sliding down her face.

"I missed you too baby," she whispered, holding the small girl close. She turned and looked at the gravestone. She did a double take. "Na…nani?" Instead of Mika's name on the marker, it now read Ten'ou Haruka.

"Their way of saying thank you," a new voice said.

Michiru looked up. "Haruka!"

The blonde smiled. She wore a soft, light blue kimono, a dark blue jacket hanging open. She helped the aqua haired woman up and gently held her face. "They, the spirits, gods, whatever you want to call them, said I could return to life. I had them send Mika back instead. Only you and the other Senshi will know that she died. Kaze and Mika won't," Haruka explained.

"What about you?" Michiru asked.

Haruka grinned. "I can be reborn, demo…Mika deserves to live now with her mother, brother, and sister."

"Demo…"

Haruka captured Michiru's lips with her own. She pulled away after a moment. "There will be many sad feelings coming to hold you down, but you'll never be hurt by sadness again, for I will always be by your side," Haruka whispered.

"Ruka…" Michiru began.

"I'll find you again Michi. I promise," Haruka said as she stepped away. She faded away, a smile on her face.

Michiru smiled when she felt a tugging on her pant leg. She looked down and picked Mika up. "Can we go home Mommy? I'm hungry."

"Hai. Let's go home," Michiru agreed.

- - - - - - - - - -

On the other side of the world in a New York City hospital, a nurse gently set a month old baby down in the crib in the nursery. "So sad her mother died," another nurse whispered softly. "Does she have any family?"

"Not that we're aware of. All we know is her last name is Ten'ou."

"Any relation to that famous racer who died last year?" the nurse questioned.

The other nurse shook her head. "I doubt it. Though I wonder why her mother wanted this girl to be named after Haruka Ten'ou."

"We'll make Haruka her middle name. Her first name will be…Alexandra." The other nurse nodded and they left the room.

A transparent form appeared over the baby and she opened her bright teal eyes. It giggled and reached up at the figure. The spirit of Ten'ou Haruka smiled and placed a hand on the child's head before disappearing. Alexandra Haruka Ten'ou smiled and closed her eyes as she fell asleep, the symbol of Uranus glowing faint blue on her forehead before fading away.

END

Japanese Word Guide:

Daijoubu: All right/Are you all right?

Rin, pyo, toh, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen: The chant Rei does before throwing her charms/talismans (I actually did this from memory I've see the show that much...:sweatdrops:..though actually these are the names of the gestures she does. The gestures themselves are used for meditation...I have a book on it actually...it's pretty cool).

Akuryo Taisan: Evil Spirit Begone.

Kowai: Scary.

Shimatta: Damn it.

Arigatou: Thank you.

Doko desu: Kind of a where are you/are you here type thing. This is just me thinking what it means after listening to it in several animes.

Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as inexhaustible as well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.

- From Brandon Lee's final interview (the star of the first Crow movie who died from a dumb mistake on set of the movie).

There will be many sad feelings coming to hold you down, but you'll never be hurt by sadness again, for I will always be by your side.

-adapted from a quote from a Haruka/Michiru wallpaper I found in the ChoubiGallery of the destinedcouple/harshdomain site (the one of Michiru and Haruka in the rain; I saw it, read it, and knew that it would fit with this fic because it was so awesome. Hitomi, Miran, if you're reading this don't kill me!).

A sadish ending yes, but there's hope at the end!...please don't kill me!

So? How was the story? Was it bearable? I know it was short and all but this story kinda wrote itself really. Please to be leaving me a review now, yes?