Hey everyone! Here's a new chapter :D I hope you enjoy it and look forward to the next one which should be soon. Please read and review, and let COL232 know what you think too. Love ya~!

~SXS

The day of the ball, everyone was in a frenzy to make sure that all the preparations were correct. Decorations, food, musical selections, and of course, outfit coordination between the senshi and their queen.

The nations were also preparing, trying to make sure that anything that they needed help with was taken care of, and gussying themselves up for the party.

Fortunately, everything was easily falling into place. So far there had been no disasters, and the ball was going to start in just one hour.

Serenity, all dressed and made up by Minako, was waiting at the top of the stairs in a separate room from which she would emerge and present herself to the guests, formally. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was truly breathtaking. But she didn't feel confident. Something was missing. Or someone. Two someones really.

Despite the fact that she knew that Mamoru was really stabbing her in the back for all those years, she still couldn't help but miss him. To have someone there one moment, someone who supposedly loved you and would always be there for you, and ripped away the next was heart wrenching. And with that was the fact that there would be no Chibiusa…She couldn't even begin to describe the pain she felt about her.

She just didn't feel like herself knowing that both of them were gone forever.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Serenity said.

Setsuna appeared through the doorway. "It's almost time, Serenity-sama. Are you ready?" The young queen turned toward her senshi and struggling to put on a grin. Setsuna gasped. "Serenity-sama! Why are you crying?"

"Wha?" she felt her eyes through her white gloves and found that they were indeed leaking. She hadn't even realized that she had started crying. "Oh…I was just thinking…"

"About Small Lady?" The green-haired woman stepped over to Serenity and put a hand on her shoulder.

"N-no! Why would I be…Ok, yes. How did you know?" she turned to Setsuna who gave her a warm smile.

"I can see it in your eyes. You've always been easy to read." Serenity, unable to stop herself anymore, started to fully let out her sobs into her hands. "Serenity-sama. No, Usagi. I know that you can never have the future that you thought you would. But that doesn't mean there won't be other great things. Maybe Small Lady will be different. Maybe you might even have a boy instead."

"Well, that would be interesting," Serenity chuckled sadly.

"But the point is that no matter what happens, you have your memories. And you always have your friends." The blonde stood and fully faced the taller woman.

"Thank you." She squeezed her for a minute before pulling back and wiping her eyes. "But I just don't think that I'm going to ever even have another husband. It's hard to think that someone else could ever be the same as what Mamoru was to me."

"Well, I can understand why you might feel that way. But if you did find someone, Chibiusa wouldn't be impossible. If she was, I'm quite sure the timeline would have been distorted because she wouldn't have gone to the past."

This fact hadn't occurred to Serenity before. She hadn't thought about the fragility of the time and how one small thing like her daughter traveling back in time could disrupt the future they had come to. And this simple fact was enough to fill her with such hope and happiness, the kind that she hadn't felt in days, until she was bursting. A huge smile spread across her features.

"You're right, Setsuna-chan. You're right! I can find someone else. And Chibiusa will be born! She's not gone. She's never gone until I give up. Thank you!"

Setsuna laughed at the enthusiasm she showed, and mused to herself that no matter how long this girl would be queen for, she would probably never lose that innocent sparkle like that of a child. "You're welcome, Serenity-sama. now you had better hurry up and clean your face a little. It's about time for you to make your grand entrance."

"Oh dear! My mascara ran with all my silly crying." Serenity turned back to the mirror as her senshi left and started to wipe off the black streaks.

.:~TMTGT~:.

Everyone looked stunning as they stepped into the palace ballroom. People made small talk, butlers walked through the crowd offering hordourves and drinks (virgin of course, at the queen's request). Already they were having a great time. Senshi from all over the galaxy had gathered for the occasion, and not only them but also rulers from different planets. Among these were the Solar System Senshi's previous enemy Queen Nehellania, looking just as good-natured as Serenity.

Galaxia and the Animamates were also present. The Golden Queen had abandoned her metal outfit for something much more flattering and elegant. The first thing she did when she saw the Animates was to apologize for her horrible enslavement of them and they were very forgiving.

The Starlights and their princess Kakyuu had also attended. The three senshi had chosen their male forms, seeing as that was how the senshi from Earth were most used to them. A certain raven-haired one was casually scanning the room, trying not to look like he was searching for a specific person, even though he so obviously was.

The nations were intermingling with everyone, excited to meet and speak with peoples of other planets. Alfred was particularly interested in trying to find senshi who came from the same planet as his friend Tony. Unfortunately for him, he found no one.

The Guardian and Outer Senshi stood at the foot of the stairs, lined up with four on either side. Each wore a dress representing their senshi fuku colors, strapless floor length. Rei stepped forward with a cordless microphone and said, "If everyone would please quiet down!" Slowly the rumble of chatter faded into nothing. "Thank you very much. It is my great honor and privilege to announce the entrance of our new Queen. Formally known as Tsukino Usagi, or as most of you will remember Sailor Moon. Neo Queen Serenity-sama!"

The doors at the top of the stairs opened and Serenity stepped out. There was a collective gasp from all in the room at the sight of her. She smiled as she trailed down the center staircase into the elegant ball room.

Somehow she still managed to retain the unique dumpling-shaped buns on the top of her head, but the rest of her hair was falling gently around her in golden waves. A golden tiara, much different from her senshi one, was pinned onto her head also, the jewels sparkling in the light.

Her dress was pure white and strapless, with golden trim along the top and bottom. It was snug on the top, but at the waist it expanded out, the satin flowing gracefully and ending in a one foot train. She silently hoped that her klutziness wouldn't make an appearance as she tried to navigate her feet around the long skirt.

Translucent wings had appeared sprouted from behind her. The crescent moon on her forehead also appeared. Both of these things gave her the glittering look of a faerie.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, most of the guests were on their knees. Rei gave her the microphone with a small bow and took her place back in line.

Serenity spoke gently to the room. "Everyone please rise. I am so pleased to see everyone has gathered here tonight. It makes my heart warm to know you all accepted my invitations to celebrate." She took in a breath to settle herself a bit. Who would have thought she'd get so nervous. "And I am quite ecstatic to see my friends from all across the cosmos as well!" She nodded in turn to Galaxia, Nehellania, and the Starlights.

"My dear people. No, all my new friends! The nations that I have just met this week. I would like to say this especially to you. I promise that I will be a just and caring queen. I will not take advantage of you, nor will I ever abandon you. I will be good and make sure that all your troubles are taken care of. You can all rest peacefully under my care.

"To the rest who travel from afar, I look forward to our interplanetary relations, and I hope that you will accept me as one of your own. Because even though I may act young sometimes, I am a force to be reckoned with when I want to be." She winked. "Now I want everyone to have a fantastic night full of dancing and nibbling! Please enjoy to the fullest!"

Serenity turned the microphone off and put it on a table. Her Inner Senshi ran over and hugged her. "Oh my gosh, that was somewhat terrifying!" she said.

"But that was a really good speech for winging it!" Minako said. "And you look so gorgeous! Of course, that's because I dressed you." She started laughing in a somewhat insane way.

"Well come on! Let's not stand here all night. Let's party!" Makoto said and she danced her way onto the floor. Serenity had decided to use a fast fun song for the first one to get everyone on the floor. To her excitement, it worked, and hundreds of nations and senshi were dancing to the beat.

She joined the fun right away, surrounded by all of her oldest friends. They swung around for the length of the song and Serenity felt her troubles start to melt away with the movement. But before she knew it, the song was over and a much slower tune replaced it.

"Ah! Now's my chance to dance with some of the others," she said to herself, before going off to find Liechtenstein.

The young blonde was sitting at a table with her brother, Roderich, and Elizaveta. "Hello everyone! I'm so glad you were able to attend! How are you liking everything?"

"It's wonderful, Lady Serenity," Elizaveta said. "It's absolutely beautiful!"

"Come now, call me Usagi. We're friends after all." She smiled warmly then grabbed Lilli's hand. "I want to dance with you, Lilli. Let's go!"

"Um, ok." The young nation shyly got up with the queen, leaving behind a baffled Vash.

"I knew she was going to be strange…" he said to himself. Yet at the same time, he knew that it was the innocent kind and he even dared to crack a small grin.

Meanwhile out on the floor, Serenity said, "Dear Lilli, I hope you and your brother are enjoying yourselves on this visit. I am grateful just that you managed to convince your brother to leave behind his guns." She giggled. "It would have taken a lot of energy on my part to seal the entire palace so that it wouldn't shatter."

They twirled gently across the dance floor, Serenity's golden hair making a little enclosure around them. "I-we're both-very honored to be here, Your Majesty."

Serenity wrinkled her nose, just like her namesake. "Lilli, I thought I made myself clear," she said with a touch of sternness. "When we aren't in public or in some special ceremony or something, you can call me Usagi. Ok?"

"O-ok. Usagi," Lilli tried the name that was foreign to her native language but it somehow seemed to just roll off her tongue with ease. She instantly felt more comfortable with the young queen and they continued to dance until the next song when Switzerland came over.

"May I cut in?" he asked politely with a bow.

"Certainly, Vash! I'll just leave you two alone," Serenity said with a wink. As she was about to make her way off of the dance floor to sit for a moment, she came face to face with another person.

"Hey…Odango."

He looked almost exactly as he had the day that he left the Earth so many years before. His hair was still raven black and long, his eyes still midnight blue, and his smile still sweet and yet cocky at the same time. Serenity gasped as old memories rushed back to her.

"Seiya…"