"The Right Decision"
	by DQBunny

	NOTE: This story takes place at the end of Sailor Moon
S and pretty much rewrites episodes 126, 127, and some of the
beginning of 128.  There are constant references to events 
that took place during the last five episodes of S during the
story and a synopsis for these episodes, for those who have
not seen it, is available at http://www.geocities.com/
purism_act/index.html in the "Sub vs. Dub" section.



	Nothing could stop him.
	He ran as fast as he could through the streets of
Tokyo, past barricades set up to prevent people from 
approaching the site where the Mugen School had once stood
and where an intense battle now took place.
	It had been less than an hour since Sailor Saturn 
appeared in front of Mamoru, who had been keeping vigil over 
Chibi-Usa.  He had linked his life to hers in order to 
keep her alive.  Saturn returned Chibi-Usa's heart crystal,
and she fell into a restorative sleep.  After Saturn had
gone, Mamoru had settled Chibi-Usa in the bed and stood
looking over her.  Luna and Artemis sat on each of his
shoulders.
	Luna's body tensed on his left shoulder.  
"Something's gone wrong."
	"What is it?" Artemis asked, concern etched in his
face.
	"Mamoru-san, you should go to her," Luna suddenly
said.  She jumped off his shoulder onto the bed.  She 
turned around to face him.  Artemis did the same.  "Usagi-
chan's in trouble.  Chibi-Usa-chan's safe now.  We can
watch her."
	Mamoru nodded and took off as fast as he could.  He
had driven as far as he could, then had to go the rest of
the way on foot.  Not once did he think about changing into
Tuxedo Kamen.  The pounding of his heart grew stronger with
every step he ran.  He was not a warrior coming to Sailor
Moon's aid this time.  He was a man fearful for the life of
the woman he loved.
	He managed to dodge every police barrier until there
was one left.  The policeman put his hand up to stop him.
	"Sorry son, you can't go in there," the policeman 
said.
	By this time, Mamoru could see clearly something was
going on in there.  The black pillar of light shot clear up
into the sky.  The wind blew with an almost hurricane-like
force.  Mamoru held up his hand to shield his eyes from the
flying debris.  He squinted and saw the senshi barely 
keeping a forcefield up around the school.  Unconsciously,
he chewed the inside of his bottom lip.  He noticed he 
sometimes did that out of fear.  Ignoring the cop, he 
started past them.
	The cop grabbed his arm.  "Look, buddy, I said you
can't go in!"
	"Like hell I won't!" Mamoru growled, reason quickly
fleeing him.  He shrugged off the man's hold and took off
running toward the force field.
	"You fool!" the cop yelled after him.  "You're 
walking into certain death!"
	Mamoru approached the forcefield just as a massive
explosion hit the area.  He was thrown back into a pile of
rubble, but did not pass out.  He covered his head with his
hands until the rain of debris slowed down.  He slowly 
uncovered his head and looked up to see a huge crater where
the school once stood.
	His heart jumped into his throat and he could not 
speak.  Kami-sama, Usako, he thought, slowly getting up.  
He surveyed the area.  He could not see any of the senshi.
Where the pillar of light and nebula had been, only dozens
of butterflies remain.  They were similar to the ones that
floated around Sailor Moon when she did her double 
transformation.
	A groan sounded near his feet and Mamoru looked down
to see Sailor Mercury half-buried under some rubble.  He
quickly cleared it away so she could breathe.  "Ami-chan,"
he asked, "Are you okay?"
	"Sailor Moon...," Mercury whispered.  "Where is she?"
	Mamoru stood up and looked around the area.  He could
see the other senshi start to get up.  Their fukus were in
shreds, and they looked to have serious injuries.  One 
glance back at Ami revealed she had a broken arm.  The
butterflies still hovered where the nebula had been.
	Mamoru started to approach it, trying to control the
tears that threaten to spill over when he did not see 
Sailor Moon among the senshi who had managed to stand.  He
had to remain strong for them and for Chibi-Usa.  He had
known what the outcome could be and the sacrifice.  But,
it was literally tearing his soul apart.
	He could see a silhouette among the butterflies.  His
heart started beating faster as the figure slowly came into
view.  He nearly broke into a run when he saw it was Super
Sailor Moon.  Her fuku was also in shreds, and she was 
covered in cuts and bruises.  She walked out of the mass of
butterflies carrying a baby in her arms.
	But what stopped Mamoru from running to greet her was
her eyes.  The expression in them chilled him to the bone.
His Usako's eyes were always so vibrant and full of life, 
even when faced with a tough situation.  Now she stood 
about ten feet away from him, her eyes completely vacant of
any emotion at all.  All of the life had simply been 
drained from her.
	Sailor Uranus approached Sailor Moon and took the
baby from her, almost snatching it.  Moon tried to reach 
for the baby, bur Uranus stepped out of her reach.
	"What do you think you're doing with that child?"
Mamoru yelled.  Uranus did not look up at him.
	"It's none of your concern.  She's in our care now,"
Uranus replied, coldly.  She looked up at him, her eyes
full of anger.  "She has a new chance at life, and we have
a new mission."
	Neptune and Uranus started to walk away with the 
baby.  The wind, which had died down to a gentle breeze,
moved part of the blanket which shielded the baby's
forehead, revealing the symbol of Saturn glowing brightly
on it.  They walked away from the ruins.
	Mamoru stared after them for a moment and turned back
in time to see Sailor Moon crumple to the ground.  He raced
forward and gathered her in his arms and hugged her 
tightly.  Saying a quick prayer that she seemed to be okay,
he was surprised when Moon grabbed ahold of his shirt, 
turned her face into his chest, and started sobbing.  
	Sailor Moon's heartbroken sobs were the only sound 
that carried in the night.

	**********
	"Crises Make-UP!"
	She could finally do it!  Sailor Moon felt herself
power-up into Super Sailor Moon.  She turned toward the
nebula that was Pharoah 90.
	"Good bye..." Sailor Saturn's final words echoed 
again and again in Moon's mind.
	No, I won't let you do this alone, Moon thought.
She flew toward the nebula and this time got through the
barrier inside where she was immediately hit with a blazing
hot pain that seared her from head to toe.  She was thrown
back against the barrier and struggled to open her eyes.
	"Hotaru-chan....HOTARU-CHAN!"
	
	Usagi's screams were enough to wake up the man beside
her.  Mamoru lifted his head up from where he had fallen 
asleep.  Usagi had detransformed and lasped into 
unconsciousness three days earlier after collasping.  
Mamoru had taken her back to his apartment and noticed that
Chibi-Usa had awakened while he had been gone.  Makoto had 
called Usagi's parents and explained they were having a 
massive study session, although they all knew the Tsukinos 
probably knew what was really up.
	Mamoru had kept vigil by her bedside the entire time. 
Rubbing the back of his neck, he realized he must had 
fallen asleep in the chair he sat in.
	"HOTARU-CHAN!" Usagi kept screaming.
	Luna ran into the room.  Mamoru quickly moved to the 
bed and started shaking Usagi's shoulders gentily.  "Usako, 
wake up!  You're having a nightmare.  Wake up!"
	Usagi's eyes fluttered open.  Their normal shade of
blue had returned, but it was much less vibrant than before
the battle.  She looked around her, trying to take in her
surroundings.  Her gaze landed back on Mamoru for a moment,
but she did not say anything to him.  Instead, she looked
out the window.
	Luna jumped onto the bed.  "Usagi-chan, daijobu?  
We've been so worried about you.  Everyone else is doing
okay.  Ami-chan has a cast on her right arm, and Minako-
chan has a sprained ankle.  Rei-chan and Mako-chan only
have cuts and bruises.  No one has heard from Haruka-san
and Michiru-san in days...or about the baby."
	Usagi kept looking out the window.  Mamoru and Luna
stared at each other, helpless at what to do.
	"Mamoru-san."
	It was like a scene out of a Warner Bros. cartoon.
Mamoru and Luna both did a double take at Usagi's words.
	"Mamoru-san, can you help me to the bathroom?" 
Usagi's voice was hollow, deprived of its usual life.  
The sound reminded Mamoru of her eyes when she first
emerged from the nebula.  What was even more frightening
was that she called him Mamoru-san.
	"Hai," he said, moving quickly to help her.  Mamoru
helped Usagi to stand and started walking toward the 
bathroom with her.  About halfway there, she shrugged off
his assistance and kept going without him.  The door
slammed shut behind her.  

	**********
	Usagi walked in the front door of her house and
stopped to take off her shoes.  She knelt down to place
them in the shoe rack and looked up to see a pair of
angry cinnamon eyes glaring at her.
	"How could you?" Chibi-Usa screamed.  "How could
you do that to Hotaru-chan?  Why couldn't you save her?
You promised to save her!"
	"Shut up," Usagi replied without any emotion in
her voice.  Her hands trembled and she closed them into
fists.  I do not want to deal with this, she thought.  It's
enough I will have to remind myself every day for the rest
of my life about this.  She headed toward the stairs.
	"Answer me, Usagi!  Why were you a coward?" Chibi-
Usa screamed.  Before the younger girl knew what had hit
her, Usagi whirled around and slapped Chibi-Usa so hard
that the younger girl was sent flying back against the
front door.  Chibi-Usa hit her head on the door and 
crumpled to the ground.  Ikuko and Kenji ran out of the
kitchen to see Usagi walking up the stairs and Chibi-Usa
slowly getting up, rubbing a scarlet red mark on her
face.
	"Chibi-Usa-chan!" Ikuko cried.  "Are you okay?  Did
Usagi hit you?"
	Chibi-Usa's eyes narrowed as she stared after Usagi.
"I slipped and fell into the front door.  I'm okay, Ikuko-
momma.  I'm okay."

	**********
	"HOTARU-CHAN!" Sailor Moon's screams echoed through
the nebula that was Pharoah 90.
	Sailor Saturn turned around to face Sailor Moon.  
Moon managed to force her eyes open to look at Saturn.  The
girl, although at least three years younger than herself, 
seemed so much older.  Tears streaked down Moon's cheeks.
She started to approach her.
	"Onegai, Hotaru-chan, don't sacrifice yourself!" Moon
screamed.
	"Things must be made right, Sailor Moon," Saturn's 
eyes were hard.  Moon fell to her knees, guilt weighing her
down.  I made the wrong choice, she thought.  I betrayed
everyone.  She's judging me and I failed.  Tears streamed
down Moon's cheeks.  Now I will lose Hotaru-chan and 
everyone else.  Because of my choices, I killed my own
daughter!  Moon could not stop the sobs.  Uranus and 
Neptune are right.  I am a coward...a coward....
	A coward.

	Luna woke up to see Usagi sobbing into her pillow.
She immediately got up from where she slept at the end of
the bed and padded softly up to Usagi's face.  "Usagi-chan!
Wake up!" she urged in a concerned tone.
	"No...I'm a coward...a coward...," Usagi began 
tossing and turning restlessly.
	Luna backed up a few inches, then swiped at Usagi's
face without her claws extended.  When that failed to wake
her up, she nearly panicked.  Usually even that wakes her
up, Luna thought.  The cat jumped up to the dresser where
Usagi's brooch and communicator lay.  She opened the 
communicator and hit a button.
	After she had given the senshi new communicators,
Luna had given Mamoru Usagi's old communicator in case
of an emergency.  After a moment, his face appeared, hair
tousled from being asleep.  A split second later, and he
was alert.  "Luna, what's wrong?" he asked.
	"It's Usagi-chan," Luna said as calmly as she could.
"She's having some terrible nightmare and won't wake up."
	Without another word, Mamoru's face disappeared and
Luna knew he was on the way.  She ran to the balcony and
pushed the doors open for him.  A cool breeze blew in the
room, and Usagi quieted down some.  Luna turned around to
look at her.
	Maybe it's passing, she thought.  Mamoru had told her
how Usagi had looked once she emerged from the nebula that
had been Pharoah 90.  Perhaps these nightmares were related
to something that happened inside.  Usagi-chan, Luna 
thought, will you ever tell us what really happened?

	"You are not a coward, Sailor Moon."
	Moon looked up to see Saturn standing over her.  The
younger senshi extended a hand and helped Moon to her feet.
Saturn smiled.  "Trust me, what you did..."
	"Is unforgiveable."
	"Huh?" Moon whirled around to see Sailor Uranus 
standing behind her.  Uranus's talisman glittered brightly
in her hand, and she slowly drew the space sword over her
head.
	"You did not follow me into the nebula, Uranus!"
Moon cried.
	"No, but I can remind you every single day for the
rest of your life that you, Sailor Moon, nearly caused the
extinction of this world!"  Uranus rushed at her with the 
sword and Moon jumped out of the way.  She looked around to 
see the scenery around her had changed.  She stood in the 
middle of the area where she and Haruka had saved Michiru
from Kaorinite months ago.  Moon turned her attention back
to Uranus.
	"I did what I could to save Hotaru-chan!" Moon 
yelled.
	"For that, you put the life of your daughter on the
line?" Uranus yelled back.  "For this, you do not deserve
to live!"
	"NO!"

	"Usako!" Mamoru shook Usagi as hard as he could.  She
opened her eyes and looked around.  Again, Usagi woke up in
Mamoru's arms, but this time they were in her bedroom.  
Luna sat at the foot of the bed, looking at her in concern.
	"I'm glad you didn't wake your parents up, Usagi-
chan," Luna said.  "Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to 
explain this."
	"Are you okay, Usako?" Mamoru hugged Usagi.
	Usagi relaxed for a brief second, then tensed.  She
turned around to look at him.  I put the life of our child
on the line, she thought.  The world is saved, but what was
I really fighting for?  What do I fight for?  How can I go
on when my daughter and senshi hate me?  Guilt stabbed at
Usagi repeatedly.
	"Usako, do you want to tell me about it?" Mamoru 
asked.
	Usagi quickly got out of bed and pulled her robe on.
"Thank you for checking on me, Mamoru-san.  I think you 
better leave."
	Mamoru and Luna stared at her in shock again.  Usagi
walked toward her door and pushed it open.  She brushed by
Chibi-Usa, who had been watching the entire scene from the
doorway.  Moments later, they heard another door slam.
	Chibi-Usa turned to Mamoru.  "How could she treat you
like this, Mamo-chan?  She's cold, mean, and wants to hurt
everyone."
	"You have to be understanding, Chibi-Usa," Mamoru
explained.  He created a rose and turned into Tuxedo Kamen
so he could leave easier through the balcony.  "She's gone
through a really rough time.  You need to be easier on 
her."
	"But what about me?" Chibi-Usa cried, tears in her
eyes.  "I lost my best friend!  All you care about is her."
	Mamoru started to leave, but knew he couldn't.  He
walked back over to Chibi-Usa and knelt down to her size.
"You don't expect me not to care for her?  Chibi-Usa, I
love you, but you're my daughter.  The type of love I have
for you is what a father has for a daughter.  Usako is your
mother and my future wife.  Our love for each other is 
different.  You'll find that one day."
	"But I have it now!" Chibi-Usa cried.
	"No, you don't.  Usako loves me very much and she 
loves you even more.  You're the reason why she went into
the nebula and faced Pharoah 90.  Please, try to be
understanding."
	"But she hit me earlier!" Chibi-Usa said.  "She's
a mean, cold-hearted witch and so are you.  I hate you...
I hate you!" The younger girl whirled around and ran out
of the room.  
Mamoru stood, a helpless expression on his face.  
Luna jumped off the bed and walked over to him and rubbed
herself against his leg.  "It's okay, Mamoru-san," she
said.  "Usagi-chan and Chibi-Usa-chan are in a lot of pain
right now.  You're doing the right thing."
	He nodded.  But, he was not so sure that he fully
agreed with Luna.

	**********
	Ami and Makoto stared at Usagi.  She sat across the
lunchroom from them, barely picking at her food.  Ami 
looked worried.  Makoto started to pace the corner they 
stood in.
	"You did ask her to eat with us, didn't you?" Makoto
asked Ami.
	"Hai, of course I did!" Ami replied.  "She turned me
down again.  She's done this all this week."  She adjusted
the sling her arm rested in.  "She's hardly spoken two 
words to any of us since the battle with Pharoah 90.  Luna
said she won't talk with her and she does not call Mamoru-
san 'Mamo-chan' any longer.  She barely tolerates Chibi-
Usa-chan's prescence."
	"It's like she's shutting herself away from all of
us," Makoto commented.  "Have you scanned her?"
	"Iie, it's hard to with this arm.  Mako-chan, if you
can hold up my computer, I can do it."
	"Sure!" Makoto found Ami's mini-computer in her 
satchel and held it up for her.  It took Ami a moment to
get used to typing with one hand, but she soon targeted a
scanning program on Usagi across the lunchroom.  After a
moment, Ami frowned.
	"What is it?" Makoto asked.
	"Usagi-chan's physically fine, but there's something
wrong with her emotional well-being." Ami looked up from 
her readings.  "I can't even get a reading.  It's weird."
	Suddenly, the computer was plucked out of Makoto's
hands.  She and Ami looked up to see Usagi standing beside
Makoto.  She snapped the computer shut and threw it to the
table.
	"Usagi-chan!" Ami cried.
	"Stop scanning me when it's not wanted.  I'm fine, 
hear that you nerd?" Usagi pointed to the computer.  "If
I sense you doing that to me again, you will regret it."
Her voice was cold as ice.
	"Usagi-chan!" Ami repeated.
	"Come on, Usagi-chan, she was only trying to help,"
Makoto said.
	"Stop that, you bully.  Why don't you just go back
where you belong?" Usagi turned on her heels and started
to walk out of the lunchroom, her friends gaping at them.
She closed her eyes and started to run down the hall before
either of them noticed the tears running down her cheeks.
Gomen nasai, Ami-chan...Mako-chan, she thought.  But, I 
don't deserve to be your friend any longer.

	**********
	"You are not a coward, Sailor Moon."
	Moon turned toward Saturn.  The harsh look was gone
from the younger senshi's eyes, replaced by a kind 
expression.  Saturn came over to Moon and took her hands.
"If not for you..."
	A shot of black energy hit Saturn, knocking her away
from Moon.  She whirled around to see a black, shapeless
creature with beady yellow eyes glaring at her.  She took a
defensive stance.  So this is Pharoah 90, she thought.
	"I'll defeat you," Moon whispered and held up the
Spiral Moon rod.  "RAINBOW MOON..."
	"You can't defeat me with such puny powers, Sailor
Moon!" The pharoah sent another blast of power out toward
Moon and knocked the rod out of her hands.  Moon screamed
with pain and grabbed her arm.  She turned around and saw
the rod lay near Sailor Saturn's crumpled form.  She ran
to her side.
	"Sailor Saturn...Hotaru-chan, please wake up!" Moon
grabbed Saturn's shoulders and shook them.  Saturn's eyes
slowly opened, and she smiled at Moon.
	"You tried, Sailor Moon," she said.  "Your powers 
alone can not defeat Pharoah 90.  I must...I must make the
ultimate sacrifice."
	 "I can't let you do that!" Moon said.  "You deserve
the chance at a normal life!"
	"So do you, Sailor Moon...Tsukino Usagi."
	Another blast from Pharoah 90 hit Moon and she was 
knocked several feet away from Saturn.

	Usagi opened her eyes and looked around.  She sat
up.  Luna was not sleeping at the end of the bed as she
usually did.  Usagi drew her knees up to her chin and 
sighed.  Usagi had told her guardian to go stay elsewhere
for awhile and had locked her bedroom door and windows to
prevent Luna from getting in.  
	She looked out her window.  I don't want to keep 
shutting everyone off from me, Usagi thought.  But, I made
the wrong choice.  Because I decided Hotaru-chan should 
live, I destroyed part of my own city.  The death toll was
in the thousands.  I couldn't ignore the media reports.  If
I had left Haruka-san and Michiru-san destroy Hotaru-chan
at the observatory that day, none of this would had 
happened.
	Usagi felt an aching hollow within the depths of her
soul.  It had been there ever since the fight with Pharoah
90.  But, other than her dreams, she could not remember the
battle.  All she remembered was entering the nebula, then
coming back out carrying a baby.  Haruka and Michiru had
taken the child from her, then she collasped into Mamoru's
arms.  
	I suppose my dreams are telling me what happened, 
Usagi thought.  My dreams are taunting me and reminding me
how much of a coward I am.  Tears filled her eyes and 
spilled over.  I betrayed my family, my friends, my city...
all because I was being selfish.  In trying to save one 
person, I killed thousands of others.  How can I be a good
queen if I cause people's deaths?
	Usagi laid back down.  She longed to go see Mamoru
and tell him her thoughts.  She was even shutting him out.
She closed her eyes.  Gomen ne, Mamo-chan, she thought.
But you don't deserve someone like me.  Usagi turned on
her side and tried to go back to sleep.

	Mamoru could not sleep.
	He lay awake, staring at the ceiling.  Counting
sheep had not helped.  He even took a tranquilizer, but
that had little effect on him.  Instead, he was wide 
awake, trying to ignore the pain in his heart.
	He could feel it little by little.  Usagi was 
trying to shut off their connection to each other.  He
was trying to reach her through the soul bond they shared,
but she kept turning away from him.  Ami had said she had
not been able to get a reading about Usagi's emotional
well-being.  
	Luna looked up from where she had been sleeping at
the foot of Mamoru's bed.  She stood up and walked up
near his face.  "Can't sleep, Mamoru-san?"
	"Iie."  Mamoru reached over to the reading lamp
that hung from the bookshelf next to his bed.  He 
snapped it on and sat up.  Luna crawled into his lap
and laid down.  He began to stroke her back.
	"This is temporary, Mamoru-san," Luna said.  "She's
been through a lot recently.  I've been starting to read up
on post-traumatic stress syndrome.  She's showing a lot of
the symptoms with the bad dreams and shutting herself off
from everyone.  Someone just needs to get her to open up."
	"She won't talk to any of the senshi.  I won't even
begin to describe her attitude towards Chibi-Usa, or Chibi-
Usa's back at her.  The two act like the other does not 
exsist at all.  She's shut you and me out completely, 
Luna."  Mamoru was grateful to have her to talk to about 
this.  "I can feel her pain, Luna.  She's having so much
of it."  His hands gripped the bedclothes tightly.  "I
can't help her, Luna.  Once again, I'm powerless."
	"No you're not," Luna said.  She sat up.  "You're
doing everything you can at this point.  She's going to
have to work through a lot of it on her own.  Something
horrible happened inside Pharoah 90, and it's something
she needs to deal with.  All you can do is be there for
her and love her."
	Mamoru threw back the covers and got out of bed.
"I'm going for a walk."
	Luna nodded and settled back down.  She stared as
he pulled on a pair of slacks over his boxers.  Poor
Mamoru-san, she thought.  In the dim light she could see
the shadows under his eyes, a testimony to more than one
night of no sleep.  He had been worried over Usagi and
Chibi-Usa as well.  He's just like Usagi-chan, he carries
the weight of the world on his shoulders, Luna thought.
She laid back down and snuggled into the covers, still
warm from Mamoru's body heat.  A walk will do him good.

	Usagi threw back her covers.  It was no use.  She
could not even try to pretend to sleep any longer.  She
walked over to her closet, discarding her pajamas as she
did so.  She pulled out a shirt and a jumper and donned
them.  She moved to the dresser to pull out a pair of
socks and saw her brooch and communicator lying on top
of it.  She picked up her brooch and sighed, then
slipped it into her pocket.  Leaving her communicator,
she turned around and went downstairs.
	She walked toward the remains of the Mugen School.
She had no idea why she was going there, but her feet 
seemed to have a mind of their own.  A sense of dread
came over her as she approached the ruins.  Bright yellow
police tape still marked off the area, but no guard stood
around.  Usagi slipped past the barriers and inside.
	She walked through the ruins until she came to the
edge of the pit where the nebula had been.  A gentle
breeze blew through the night, blowing her pigtails out
into the air.  Usagi squinted to see if there were any
remains of the battle.  Her breath caught in her throat.
She thought she saw a piece of purple fuku caught on the
edge of one of the rocks.  A lump formed in Usagi's throat.
That's got to belong to Sailor Saturn, she thought.  She 
took one step forward and the ground beneath her began to
crumble away.  Usagi screamed, but before she could fall,
a pair of strong hands were there pulling her away from
the edge.
	She looked back over her shoulder see Mamoru standing
behind her.  "Mamo-chan," she breathed.
	"Nice to see you haven't forgotten that name after 
all," Mamoru commented, dryly.  He dropped his hands from
her once he was sure she was safe.  Usagi stiffened and
directed her attention back to the pit.  Mamoru groaned to
himself.  Baka, baka, baka, he berated himself.  That was
not the way to approach her.
	The two stood side by side, staring into the pit.
Usagi closed her eyes.

	"HOTARU-CHAN!" Moon's scream echoed through the
nebula.
	"And the death toll has risen to at least three
thousand and is still expected to climb from the recent
attacks on Tokyo," a news announcer's voice filled the
empty, hollow space.
	"Three thousand...," the announcer repeated.  "Three
thousand..."
	
	Usagi opened her eyes.  She pulled her brooch out of
her pocket and glared at it.  "Why did I save you," she
whispered to it.
	Mamoru looked down at her, but did not save anything.
	"Why did I try to save you?" Usagi screamed at the
brooch.  She squeezed it tightly.  "I hate it!  I hate 
being Sailor Moon!  I wish I had never accepted this 
brooch from Luna!"  With all of her strength, Usagi threw
her brooch into the pit.
	"Usako!" Mamoru cried, appalled at what she had done.
	Usagi turned on her heels and started to leave.  Now,
I won't cause anymore harm, she thought.  No more Sailor
Moon, no more pain.  I can just keep going on with my life
and lead a normal one to boot.
	Mamoru ran after her and grabbed her arm.  She turned
around.  Tears streamed down her cheeks.  He grabbed her 
other arm and shook her slightly.
	"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He cried,
not caring that he was practically cussing.  "Why did you
throw your brooch away!"
	"Let me go, Mamoru-san!" Usagi cried, trying to 
break free from his hold.  
	"No!  Not until you tell me why you're shutting 
everyone off like this.  Why me?  Why the senshi?  Why
Luna?  Why our daughter?"
	"You don't understand!" Usagi's voice rose to a
shout.  "All I've done as Sailor Moon was harm!  I caused
the deaths of more than three thousand people because I
had to save the life of one person!"
	"And because you saved the life of that one person,
you saved the world," Mamoru said.  
	"But, if I had killed her when Uranus and Neptune
told me too, I would have done the same thing, but with a
lot less death.  Either way I still would had hurt Chibi-
Usa.  The other way, a lot less people would had died.  I'm
the instrument of death, not Sailor Saturn.  Just leave me
alone!" Usagi whirled around, breaking free from Mamoru's
hold again.  "I don't want to see you or any of the senshi
ever again!" she cried, trying to hold back the sobs.  She
took off through the debris.
	Mamoru did not try to follow her again.  Instead, he
turned back to the pit.  He could see her brooch lying at
the bottom, the moonlight hitting it and making it shine.
He climbed down into the pit as carefully as he could, 
cutting his hands in the process.  The pain did not matter.
It suited what he felt in his soul at that moment.
	He reached the bottom and stumbled over to where the
brooch lay.  As he approached it, tears blurred his vision
until the brooch was nothing more than a red blob.  He
reached it and sank to his knees.  Mamoru reached out and
took the brooch in his hands and clutched it to his chest.
	"I promise you, Usako, I won't give up on you," 
Mamoru whispered his vow to the ginzuishou.  "I will never
give up on you.  You're lost, but you'll find your way
again.  And I'll be waiting for you when you do.  But, this
is something I can't fight for you.  You have to find your
way back yourself."  He closed his eyes, bent his head, and
for the first time since his parents had died years 
earlier, began to sob.

	**********
	Minako walked out of her junior high, stretching as
she did so.  I can't believe we've finally taken this exam,
she thought.  I'm so glad that it's finally over with.  Now
I can get back to being a normal teenager!  Juuban High, 
here I come!
	She walked out of the school gates and gazed to her
right.  She stopped and stared at a blond-haired man and an
aqua-haired woman holding a baby standing at the end of the
block.  She blinked a couple of times, but they disappeared
the next time she looked.
	Haruka-san?  Michiru-san?  Minako ran down to the end
of the block and peered around the corner to see a red 
convertible drive off into the distance.  She frowned.  Why
are they still here?  And why do they have that baby?

	Rei stopped sweeping and looked at Makoto and Ami 
climb the stairs up to the shrine.  "How did the exam go?"
she asked.
	"Better than I thought," Makoto laughed.
	"I just hope I got those algebra problems right," Ami
commented.  "I don't think I got them to exact decimal in
the thousandths place."
	Makoto shook her head.  "It doesn't matter now," she
said.  "We're all going to high school!"
	"What about Usagi?" Rei asked.
	The hopeful looks on Ami and Makoto's faces fell.  
"She came and took the test, but hardly said a word to 
anyone the entire time," Ami explained.  "Naru-chan thought
she was ill, and so did Haruna-sensei.  But, Usagi-chan 
just looked so lifeless.  You could tell she was going 
through the motions."
	Makoto balled her hands into fists.  "It's just not 
fair," she said.  "Usagi-chan is suffering, and I have no
idea why.  I want to help her, but she keeps pushing me 
away."
	"We're going to have to let her work through this on
her own," Rei said, sadly.  She could feel Usagi's pain
everytime she meditated.  Anguish filled her soul.  How 
could she be going through this, she thought.  But, I know
that this is Usagi growing as a princess and a person.  I
have to stand by and watch.  But I don't want to!  She 
gazed at the sun setting on the horizon.  She knew Usagi
was slowly reliving her experiences in the nebula.  She
knew things would come to a head sometime very soon.

**********
	"Sailor Moon!" Saturn screamed as Pharoah 90's blast
sent Moon across the small space to hit the wall of the
nebula.  Moon screamed in pain, then crumpled to the 
ground.
	Saturn ran over to Moon and helped her to her feet.
"Please, Sailor Moon, you must leave the nebula now," she
begged.
	"I can't Hotaru-chan," Moon begged.  She gazed over
at Pharoah 90, who was readying for another attack.  "You
have so much left to live for!  You have your entire life
ahead of you."
	"So do you, Usagi-chan," Saturn said.  "If you die,
Chibi-Usa-chan would never be born.  Crystal Tokyo would
have never exsisted.  How do I know this?  Chibi-Usa-chan
told me everything, Usagi-chan.  I know you're her mother."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.  "Think of Mamoru-san."
	"Mamo-chan...," Moon whispered.  "He said to fight 
for what we believe in this."
	"Do you believe in me, Sailor Moon?  Do you believe
I can save the world?"
	Moon nodded.  "I believe it with all of my heart.  
But, you don't have to sacrifice yourself."
	"One of us has to be sacrificed.  You have done so
many times.  Now it's my turn." 
	"Which one of you will fight me?" Pharoah 90 yelled.
"It won't matter because I will kill the other."
	Saturn turned to him.  "You will fight me," she said
in a clear, strong voice.  She approached Pharoah 90,
readying her glaive to attack it.  Moon watched them 
advance toward each other.  
	"No, I won't let you die like this, Hotaru-chan,"
Moon whispered.  She concentrated on her brooch and it
opened.  Slowly, she drew the ginzuishou out and held
it over her head.  Closing her eyes, Moon concentrated on
the senshi's powers that were still combined in her.
	"Crises Power!" Moon screamed at the top of her
voice, and the rays of the ginzuishou shot out and washed 
over Sailor Saturn just as the younger senshi shouted her
own attack.
	"Death Reborn Revolution!"
	Then the nebula exploded.

	Usagi opened her eyes and sat up.  She looked beside
her and stared at the clock.  1 a.m. in the morning.  I had
the dream again, but it looks like a finished it this time,
she realized.
	She looked out her window.  This was the first time
I did not wake up screaming from my dreams.  In fact, I
even feel...at peace, she realized.  But why?  Usagi 
got up and opened her balcony door and walked outside.  The
wind blew threw the thin pajamas she wore, but she didn't
care.  She leaned against the railing.
	My dreams must be recreating what happened inside the
nebula, she thought.  Did something more happen after I 
used the ginzuishou?  I didn't die, I know that.  She 
closed her eyes and began to think.  She replayed those 
final moments with Hotaru and her use of the ginzuishou. 
But no matter what happened, the last thing she could 
remember of the battle was using the ginzuishou at the same
time Hotaru used her own attack.  The next thing she knew,
she woke up in Mamoru's bed with a horrible sense of loss.
	I thought I had lost the battle for everyone, that I
had let everyone down, Usagi thought.  Even though we 
survived, I still heard the news reports where thousands of
people died and the sailor senshi were blamed.  All of the
destruction...it's going to take months for the city to
rebuild.
	If I had just killed Hotaru-chan when Haruka-san and
Michiru-san told me to, this could have been avoided.  Did 
I change the future by doing this?  Usagi stared down at 
the ground.  Why am I having these dreams?  With the 
exception of the one with Haruka-san in it, they all seemed
so real.  Usagi's eyes widened with realization.  Maybe...
maybe I've been recreating the final battle in my mind?
Her head snapped up.  That's it! They were telling me 
what happened inside, that I made the right decision after 
all.  I did not let everyone down!  A smile formed on her 
face for the first time in days.  I used the ginzuishou to 
save Hotaru-chan somehow.  I know in my heart that 
somewhere she is alive.  But where?  And what happened 
after I came out of the nebula?  Maybe Mamo-chan or one of
the other senshi knows.
	"I did it," Usagi said aloud in a low voice.  "I did
it!" she exclaimed.  She whirled around and ran inside.  
She ran upstairs to where Chibi-Usa slept.  She stood by
her daughter's bedside and gazed down at where the 
moonlight shone upon her tear-streaked face.  Usagi
clasped her hands and held them to her chest.
	"I love you, Chibi-Usa," Usagi whispered.  "I know
now that Hotaru-chan's still alive.  I will make this up
to you, I promise."  She leaned over and kissed her 
forehead.  "Now, there's someone else I must go to."
	She dressed and slipped out of the house as quietly
as she could.  Usagi ran as fast as she could toward 
Mamoru's house.  The memories of what she had done to him
and how cruel she had been toward him flashed through her
mind.  I've acted so horribly and he's been so sweet, she
thought.  He doesn't deserve someone like me.  
	I turned him and everyone else away because I was
afraid I would be hurting them by staying around them.  But
now I know I was hurting them even more by closing myself
off.  In trying not to be a burden, I turned out to be one
after all.  Usagi's eyes narrowed.  I vow to make it up
to all of you, my love, my daughter, my friends.  
	She reached Mamoru's apartment and rummaged in her
pocket for the spare key he gave her.  She crept inside and
closed the door softly after her.  She walked into the main
room and looked to her left where Mamoru laid in bed.  
Dressed in a t-shirt and boxers, he had shoved covers down 
to the bottom of the bed.  Luna slept where the covers were 
bunched up.
	Usagi stared at him.  He slept, clutching the 
ginzuishou close to his heart.  Tears filled her eyes.  She
smiled and wiped them away. 
	She approached the bed nervously.  Luna immediately
woke up and got to her feet.  "Usagi-chan?" she whispered
uncertainly.
	"It's okay," Usagi rubbed Luna's back.  "I've got a
lot to talk to you about, but can I have some time alone
with him, please?"
	Luna stared at Usagi.  Part of her was reluctant to
lead Usagi alone with Mamoru, but there was a more adult
look around her now.  She nodded and jumped down from the
bed.  She rubbed her legs against Usagi's feet.  "Welcome
back, Usagi-chan."
	"Arigato," Usagi said with a smile.  She followed 
Luna until the cat left the apartment, then she shut and
locked the door behind her.  She turned around and 
approached Mamoru's bed again.  She sat down on the edge
of it and watched him sleep.
	After a moment, his face scrunched up and his eyes
blinked open.  A hand lifted, then reached out toward her.
"Usako?" he whispered.
	Usagi caught his hand in both of hers and kissed it.
"Hai, I'm here Mamo-chan."  The tears she had tried to
hold back spilled over and fell onto his hand.  She kissed
it again.  "I've come back to you, Mamo-chan.  Than...thank
you for not giving up on me."
	Mamoru's hand wrapped around one of her own and 
squeezed tightly.  "I will never give up on you," he
said hoarsely.
	Usagi leaned over and kissed him.  He returned the
kiss with a fierce passion.  Before she knew it, she was in
the bed with him...no, under him.  He loomed over her, a
myriad of emotions in his eyes.  Carefully, he set her
brooch on the bookcase and returned to her, kissing her
again with all of the passion, love, and fear that had been
bottled up inside him since the Silver Millennium.  
	They clung to each other, feeling their bodies 
respond to their passion. After a moment, Mamoru broke off
the kiss and stared down into Usagi's eyes.  She gazed back
and she could see he was fighting a war between expressing
his love for her and moral ideals.  She held up a hand to 
his chest.  "Mamo-chan...," she whispered.
	"No," The confusion cleared from his eyes.  "Please,
don't leave me.  I can't let you go," he said in a ragged,
desperate voice.
	"I won't allow you to let me go," Usagi whispered 
back before his lips descended on hers again.

	**********
	"What do you think you're doing with that child?"
Mamoru could hear his own anguished voice in the wind,
yelling at Haruka and Michiru, who had just taken the baby
from Usagi's arms.
	This time they did not say a word to him.  He stared
at the baby.  A wind had blown back part of the blanket to
reveal the glowing sigil of Saturn on its forehead....

	Mamoru's eyes opened.  Why didn't I realize it 
before, he thought.  I saw it when I first saw the child, 
but I must have been so worried over Usako that it didn't
register in my mind.  That baby has got to be Hotaru!
	He felt Usagi stir in his arms and he smiled down at
her.  He never felt so much at peace or so happy as he felt
at that moment.  The consummation of their relationship
combined with the realization that Hotaru was probably 
still alive served to lift a giant weight from his 
shoulders.
	Usagi stirred again. Mamoru was torn between wanting
to make love to her again or letting her sleep.  He felt it
was the first time she had been able to get a decent amount
of sleep since before the battle with Mistress9 and Pharoah
90.  He also knew they should probably get up and start 
finding Hotaru.  Turning his head slightly to his right, he
could see a picture of himself, Usagi, and Chibi-Usa on his
bookcase.
	We need to find Hotaru-chan so Usako and Chibi-Usa 
can reconcile.  She probably needs to talk to the senshi as
well, he thought.  Thoughts of duty and being selfish for 
once in his life battled themselves in Mamoru's mind.  
While he thought about this, Usagi woke up and stared up
into his face.  She reached up with one hand and ran it
down the side of his face.
	He gazed down at her and quickly caught her hand in
his own.  He brought it to his lips and kissed it.  
"Ohayo," he mummered against it.
	"Ohayo," Usagi said in return, feeling estatic.  All
of my dreams came true last night, she thought.  Everything
is starting to look up.  I know what happened now and Mamo-
chan is still with me.  I just need to make everything up
to my friends and Chibi-Usa.  Those thoughts sobered her.
The senshi will be easy, but Chibi-Usa will be hard.  What
I did to her was unforgiveable.
	Mamoru felt Usagi tense up slightly.  He moved his 
hand to her back and began stroking it.  "What's wrong?"
he asked.
	"Chibi-Usa," Usagi whispered.  "How can I make this
up to her?"
	"I've been thinking about that.  I remembered when I
found you after the battle.  I saw the baby after Haruka 
and Michiru took her.  The sigil of Saturn glowed on her
forehead.  There's every reason to believe that the baby is
Hotaru-chan."
	"Really?" Usagi sat up and stared down at Mamoru.  
"She's still alive?"
	"I think the power of the ginzuishou caused her to be
reborn instead of just dying inside the nebula," he smiled
at her.  "You saved her, Usako.  You saved Hotaru-chan."
	Tears of joy formed in Usagi's eyes.  "I'm so glad,
Mamo-chan!  I didn't let everyone down after all."
	"You never failed anyone in the first place, Usako.
I know you need to talk to the senshi.  While you do so,
I'll try to see if I can find Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru.
Then we can tell Chibi-Usa together."
	"Un!" Usagi nodded and started to throw the covers
back.  Before she could get out of bed, Mamoru grabbed her
arm.
	"Before we do this, I want to do something else 
first," he mummered, drawing her to him for a kiss, giving
into the overwhelming need to make love to her once again.


	**********
	Rei stopped sweeping and turned around.  She could
see a golden pair of odango slowly climbing the steps to
the shrine.  Elation filled her and she smiled.  Still,
she did not bother to run to her best friend.  Instead,
she calmly returned to sweeping, the emotion coursing 
through her betrayed by the jerky movements of the broom.
	Usagi reached the top of the stairs, stopped, and
stared at Rei.  It's like nothing's changed between us,
she thought.  Does Rei-chan even care?
	"About time you got here, Usagi," Rei replied as if
she didn't have a care in the world.  Usagi squinted.  She
could see tears gathering in the corner of Rei's eyes.  She
smiled.
	"Haven't changed a bit, Rei-chan," Usagi said, 
walking over to the shrine maiden.
	"Of course I haven't.  I haven't gotten any sleep in
days and I've been worried sick out of my mind," Rei said,
staring at the ground.  She looked up at Usagi as one tear
escaped and slid down her cheek.  "Welcome back, Usagi."
	"You're not mad at me?" Usagi asked, not quite sure
if she wanted to believe Rei or not.
	"The only thing I'm mad at you about is that you're
so much of a baka that you didn't come tell us what you
were going through," Rei replied.  She tossed the broom to
the ground.  "We're your friends!  Don't you trust us?"
	"Of course I do!" Usagi exclaimed.  "I trust you guys
with my life!"
	"Then why wouldn't you confide in us?  Your joy is 
our joy, Usagi.  So is your pain."  Rei walked over and
stood in front of Usagi.  The wind blew strands of her long
black hair in her face.  She pushed them back, the sleeves
of her temple robe falling down to her elbows revealing
healing cuts and bruises on her arm.
	Usagi winced.  "I was being too much of a burden,
Rei-chan.  Look at you!  Look at what happened to Ami-chan
and the others.  It was my fault you guys got hurt."
	"And we would do it again, Usagi-chan," Ami's soft
voice chimed in.
	Usagi and Rei looked over to the temple steps to see
Ami, Makoto, and Minako gathered at the top.  Makoto nodded
in agreement to Ami's statement.
	"We're your best friends, Usagi-chan.  We confide in
you so much and you always make us feel better.  At least
let us have the chance to comfort you," she said.
	"Yeah, as leader of the senshi, how does this make me
look?  Our princess goes off the deep end and I can do 
nothing but watch," Minako added.
	"Minna...," Usagi managed to say, emotion welling up
in her throat.  "But I was so cruel to you."
	"Yeah, and if you ever do that again, I'll belt you,"
Makoto said with a smile.  "I'll be glad to beat some sense
into you."
	Ami adjusted her sling, then walked over to Usagi and
placed a hand on her shoulder.  "Trust me, Usagi-chan, you
will never be a burden to us.  We will not question your
decisions.  You made the right choice."
	"Un, I know that now," Usagi said.
	"What made you change your mind?" Minako asked.
	"I've been having a series of dreams that retold what
happened in the nebula.  Mamo-chan's recollection of what
happened when I came out of the nebula confirmed it.  I
used the ginzuishou to cause Hotaru-chan to be born again."
	"Sugoi!" Minako cried.
	"Yeah!" Makoto cheered.
	"So you made up with Mamoru-san?" Rei asked Usagi.  
Ami had told them how Usagi had shut him out as well.
	Usagi blushed and stared down at the ground,
remembering their method of making up.  "You could say
that," she said in a whisper.
	Rei, Makoto, and Minako's eyes grew large.  "Ohh!!"
they cried.
	"Exactly how did you make up?" Minako asked, slinking
over to Usagi and putting her arm around her shoulders.
"Details, details!"
	"Minako-chan!" Ami gasped.  
	"I found them!" A male voice cut through the girls'
excited chatter.
	They turned around to see Mamoru running up the steps
of the shrine.  He looked more relaxed than the other 
senshi had seen him in a long time.  He took the steps two 
at a time and reached the girls in less than a minute from
when they first saw them.
	"I found Hotaru-chan with Michiru-san and Haruka-
san," Mamoru said.  He stopped for a moment to catch his
breath.  "I passed by a children's clothing store and saw
them inside purchasing things for Hotaru-chan.  I managed
to find out their address."
	"How did you do that?" Rei asked.
	"I have a friend, Saori, who works in the shop.  I
called in a favor with her," Mamoru's gaze shifted to Usagi
to see if she would become jealous.  He braced himself for
her to begin shrieking.  One quick glance among the rest of
the senshi revealed they were expecting the same thing.
	Instead, Usagi beamed and clapped her hands in joy.
"Mamo-chan, you're wonderful!" she exclaimed.  She ran to
him and rewarded him with a lingering kiss which surprised
him and shocked the other senshi.
	"All right Usagi-chan!" Minako cheered.
	"Way to go!  Atta girl!" Makoto added.
	Usagi broke off the kiss leaving her boyfriend trying
to remember how to breathe.  She turned to the other 
senshi.  "All we need to do now is go show Hotaru-chan to
Chibi-Usa and everything can get back to normal again.  We
can talk to Haruka-san and Michiru-san and clear up any
misunderstanding."
	"Usagi-chan!" Luna's voice came from the bottom of 
the stairs.  Everyone looked to see her and Artemis race
up to the top of the stairs as well.
	"Usagi-chan, Chibi-Usa-chan's gone!" Luna cried as
she ran.
	"She said something to your mother about going home,
that she's tired of being here," Artemis added.  "I think
she's going to try to go back to the future."
	"She can't do that yet!" Usagi cried.  "She doesn't
know Hotaru-chan's still alive!"
	"If she goes back feeling the way she does right now,
it could have a diasterous effect on her relationship with
Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion," Ami said.  "She'll
look at her parents and remember everything that happened
in the 20th century."
	"Chibi-Usa blamed me for what happened with Hotaru,"
Usagi whispered.  "And I just reinforced it by being cruel
to her."
	"I'm afraid I wasn't much help either," Mamoru 
admitted.  He placed a comforting arm around Usagi's 
shoulders.  "We fought a few days ago after one of your
nightmares.  Ever since, she's been keeping to herself and
speaking to noone."
	"I bet she's at the park, where she left the last 
time she came," Rei said.  "Don't just stand there you two,
go find her!"
	
	Michiru walked into the kitchen and smiled.  Haruka
sat at the kitchen table giving Hotaru a bottle.  The 
tomboyish senshi was smiling at the small child in her 
arms, even brushing her lips against the baby's forehead
every once in awhile.  The mothering bug has bit Haruka,
Michiru thought.  It suits her well.
	Haruka looked up to see Michiru watching her and
Hotaru.  She smiled at her for a moment, then her look grew
serious.  "You know they will be coming here at any time."
	"Of course.  I realized it the moment I noticed 
Mamoru-san looking through the boutique window.  He's a
very sharp man.  It would not take him long to find out 
where we are."
	"He is Prince of the Earth.  We should expect no
less from him."  Haruka stood up and walked over to the
window.  She placed Hotaru on her shoulder and began to
pat her back.  
	Michiru approached her.  "You're still upset at her,
aren't you?"
	"This wasn't the way things were suppose to be,"
Haruka said.  "None of us should have had to go through
that hell.  She cost the lives of thousands of people just
to save one person.  What type of a princess is she?"
	"She's one that cares and you know it."  Michiru
crossed her arms across her chest.  "Haruka, open your 
eyes.  She risked everything to save us."
	"So you've sworn allegiance to her?"
	"We swore allegiance to Queen Serenity to protect her
daughter and the Silver Millenniumn from harm."
	Haruka turned back to Michiru.  "That vow was made a
lifetime ago.  The world is not the same now."
	"But our mission is," Michiru said.  Her gaze fell to
Hotaru, who had fallen asleep on Haruka's shoulder.  "Our
mission is still the same, but it is different as well.  
Our duty now is to protect the future.  Something inside me
says if the princess didn't save Hotaru that our futures 
would be remarkably different."
	"She's right," a low, husky voice spoke.  Haruka and
Michiru turned to see Setsuna standing in the kitchen 
doorway.
	Haruka took a couple of steps toward the emerald-
haired senshi.  "How did you....?"
	"Let's just say Hotaru was not the only one to 
recieve the power of the ginzuishou," Setsuna replied.  A
smile formed on her face and she turned to the window.  
"They will come soon.  You must be ready when they arrive."
	Haruka and Michiru nodded in response.  Baby Hotaru
slept on in Haruka's arms.

	Mamoru drove like a bat out of hell.  It was the only 
way Usagi could describe it.  Normally a very safe driver, 
with just a small tendency to speed, he now broke about 
every traffic law in the book.  Usagi sat in her seat
praying they would not get into a wreck or be pulled over.
She glanced over at her boyfriend.  His jaw was set and his
blue eyes intense as he concentrated on the road.
	"Ne, Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked.  When silence greeted 
her, she smiled.  "Remind me when I go into labor with 
Chibi-Usa not to let you drive."
	The joke failed to make him smile.  Usagi turned her
attention back to the road as well, her hand nervously
fiddling with the door handle.
	They pulled to a stop in a parking lot opposite the
entrance to Jyuban park and got out as quickly as they
could.  They ran across the street and into the park.
	"She left near the lake the last time," Mamoru 
grabbed Usagi's hand.  "Come on!"
	"I'm coming!" Usagi cried, running alongside him.
	They ran across the park as fast as they could, 
drawing stares from joggers and other people.  Toward the
middle of the park, they took a detour and headed toward
the lake.
	"There she is!" Usagi yelled.  She and Mamoru both
came a stop, nearly running into each other in the process.
They stood about twenty yards away from Chibi-Usa, who 
stood on the dock staring at the lake.  After a moment, the
younger girl rubbed an arm across her eyes as if she was
wiping away tears.  Then she thrusted a small key into the
air.  
	"Wait!  Chibi-Usa!" Usagi and Mamoru yelled, running
as fast as they could toward their daughter.
	The wind started to pick up around Chibi-Usa as she
recited the words that were as old as time.  "Guardian of
Time, let the Door of Time split the heavens and open to 
me," she yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks.
	"Chibi-Usa!" Usagi and Mamoru yelled again, but she
ignored them.
	"I call you by your true name: The all-knowing God of
Time, the Father of the Guardian, Chronos!" Chibi-Usa kept
going.
	"What do we do?" Usagi asked Mamoru.  They came to
a stop about ten feet away from Chibi-Usa. 
	"If she goes home feeling the way she does, her 
attitude toward our future selves is going to change,"
Mamoru said.  "That will alter time even more.  We've
got to set things right."
	"Lead me!"
	Usagi looked at her daughter.
	"Protect me!"
	She took off in a run.
	"Send me the path of light!"
	A light shimmered started to come down from the sky.
Usagi reached Chibi-Usa and tackled her to the ground, 
rolling with her so she would not hurt her.  Chibi-Usa
dropped the time key and the path of light dissolved.
	Chibi-Usa wriggled out from under Usagi and jumped
to her feet.  "Baka Usagi!" she screamed.  "What do you
think you're doing?  I want to go home!"
	Mamoru reached them, then stopped to scoop the time
key up in his hand.  "We need to talk to you, Chibi-Usa,"
he said, calmly.
	"I don't want to listen to anything you have to say,"
Chibi-Usa turned her back on them.
	Usagi slowly got to her feet.  "Hotaru's still alive,
Chibi-Usa," she said in a low tone.
	Chibi-Usa turned back to them.  "You're joking," she
said, hurt reflected in her eyes.
	Usagi turned to Mamoru for confirmation.  He nodded.
"Hotaru is alive and well.  I'm going to take both of you
to see her," he said.
	

	**********
	Mamoru drove the girls to a house in an upscale area
of Tokyo.  He pulled to a stop beside the curb and turned
off the engine.  Usagi and Chibi-Usa stuck their heads out
the window.
	"Sugoi!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed.  "This house is huge!"
	"Wow, it looks old too," Usagi agreed with her.  She
got out of the car and walked over to the sidewalk.  Chibi-
Usa followed her.
	Mamoru got out of the car and held his hand up to 
shield the sun from his eyes so he could see the house 
better.  "This house is at least a hundred years old, built
in the western Victorian style.  There's not many like 
them."
	"It's pretty!" Usagi exclaimed.
	"Let's go see Hotaru-chan!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed, then
ran up the path to the house.
	"Wait, Chibi-Usa!" Mamoru called.
	"Hai, I don't think we're exactly invited guests," 
Usagi added, then the two followed her.
	The front door opened just as Chibi-Usa reached it.
She slid to a stop, then took a couple steps back.
"P..p..Pu!" she exclaimed.
	Setsuna stood in the doorway and smiled at her.  
"Small Lady," she said.
	"Setsuna-san!  You're alive!" Usagi exclaimed.
	"Thanks to you, Usagi-san," Setsuna said.  She stood
aside.  "Come in.  There is someone you are here to see, 
ne?"
	"Hotaru-chan!" Chibi-Usa sped past Setsuna into the
house.  She could see Haruka and Michiru standing outside
in the backyard with a bundle in Michiru's arms.  She found
the back door and ran outside.
	Haruka and Michiru looked up at Chibi-Usa.  "Yo, 
Chibi-chan," Haruka said.
	"Can I see her?" Chibi-Usa's voice dropped to a
whisper.  "I wanted to see if she's okay."
	In Michiru's arms, baby Hotaru spied Chibi-Usa.  She
giggled, then stretched her small arms out toward the pink-
haired girl.
	"It looks like she wants you to hold her," Michiru
said.  She walked over to Chibi-Usa and knelt down before
her.
	Chibi-Usa blushed and clasped her hands behind her
back.  "I've never held a baby before," she admitted.
	"Here, I'll help you," Michiru said.  She helped 
Chibi-Usa to cradle Hotaru in her arms.
	From the entrance to the backyard, Usagi and Mamoru
stood watching their future daughter with big smiles on 
their faces.  Haruka looked up from Michiru and Chibi-Usa
to see them.  The smile died from her face.  Usagi stared
at Haruka.
	"Tsukino Usagi," Haruka said in a bitter voice.  
Chibi-Usa looked up from where she cradled Hotaru.  Mamoru
placed a protective arm around Usagi's waist.
	"Haruka-san," Usagi whispered.  
	Haruka approached them.  "You disobeyed us, Princess
Serenity."
	Usagi bristled.  "Who says I swear allegiance to you?
You were the one who refused to work with us.  You're the
one who wanted to kill Sailor Saturn."
	"You're the one who caused the death of those 
thousands of people during the final battle with Pharoah
90," Haruka shot at her.
	Usagi tensed.  Mamoru squeezed her tightly.  "It's
not her fault," he said.  "If she hadn't saved Hotaru..."
	"If she hadn't saved Hotaru, no lives would had been
lost," Haruka said.
	"Save one," Mamoru replied.  His gaze fell on Hotaru.
"Just how empty would your life be if Hotaru wasn't in it
right now?"
	Haruka's answering silence told him everything he 
needed to know.
	Usagi turned to Haruka.  Anger welled up inside her.
She reached in her pocket and took out her brooch from 
where she had picked it up off of Mamoru's bookcase that 
morning.  She held it up.
	"Do you have a problem with me, Princess of Uranus?"
Usagi said, holding up her brooch.  "Do you doubt my 
position as Princess of the Moon, holder of the ginzuishou 
and future queen of the earth?"
	"Future queen...," Michiru whispered.  She gazed at
Setsuna who simply watched.  Michiru turned her gaze back 
to Usagi and Haruka.
	"I doubt your decision to effectively lead in a time
of crisis," Haruka calmly said.  
	"So be it."  Usagi's brooch opened.  "Moon Cosmic
Power...Make-UP!"
	Haruka nodded.  "So be it."  She took her henshin 
wand from her pocket.  "Uranus Planet Power...Make-UP!"
	"What are they doing?" Chibi-Usa cried.  She 
grabbed Mamoru's sleeve.  "Mamo-chan, stop them!  They're
going to hurt each other!"
	"This is something they need to fight out on their
own, Chibi-Usa," Mamoru said, not fully believing his own
words.  "Somethings like this just can not be avoided."
	Uranus turned around.  "Michiru," she said.
	Michiru nodded and took out her henshin wand.  
"Neptune Planet Power...Make-UP!"
	Uranus, Neptune, and Moon faced each other.  Moon
swallowed the panic that rose up within her.  I will not
attack then, she thought.  But, I have to prove to them
that I'm strong enough to be an effective leader, that I
did make the right decision during the battle with Pharoah
90.
	Neptune raised her hands.  "DEEP SUBMERGE!" she 
yelled, angling a wave of water toward Moon. 
	Moon jumped back onto a lounge chair and into the 
air.  She grabbed hold of a tree branch above her and 
swung out of the way of Neptune's attack.  She landed on
her feet near Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and Hotaru.  Setsuna 
walked outside at that moment.
	Mamoru placed an arm around Chibi-Usa's shoulders
and led her out of the line of fire.  Hotaru began to
fuss and wiggle in Chibi-Usa's arms.
	"I can't hold her," Chibi-Usa cried.
	"I'll take her," Mamoru took the baby from Chibi-
Usa and held her up to his shoulder.
	Moon shifted her position until she was away from
them.  She turned her back to Uranus in the process.
	"WORLD SHAKING!" Uranus yelled her attack.
	"Usagi, look out!" Chibi-Usa screamed.
	Moon whirled around, then hit the ground, rolling
out of the direction of the attack.  She got to her feet
and pullerd her tiara off just as Uranus prepared another
attack.
	"MOON TIARA ACTION!" She yelled, throwing the tiara
at Uranus.  It bounced off her wrist, and she grabbed it in
pain.  Moon caught the tiara and stared at Neptune.  She
had been in the process readying another attack, but 
dropped her arms.  Instead, Neptune approached Moon and 
knelt down in front of her.
	Uranus rubbed her wrist as she approached Moon.  She
knelt down before her as well.  Moon smiled.  Finally, we
can be at peace and be friends as well as comrades with 
each other.
	"Let this battle be over and join us in all future
battles.  For we do not fight alone now, but as one," Moon
detransformed as she spoke these words.  She laid a hand on 
each of their shoulders.  "Can we be friends Haruka-san?  
Michiru-san?"
	Uranus smiled.  "You always have a soft spot in my
heart, Neko-chan."  She rose to her feet as well as 
Neptune.
	In Mamoru's arms, Hotaru gurgled happily. Chibi-Usa
looked up at her.  "Hotaru-chan looks happy.  I think this
was the ending she wanted, ne Mamo-chan?"
	Mamoru nodded in agreement, then smiled.  It looked
like things were finally going to return to some semblance
of normalacy.

	**********
	"Sugoi, the eclipse was amazing, ne Usagi?" Chibi-Usa
asked.  She sat on Mamoru's bed dressed in one of his 
pajama tops.  "It's something to tell Momma and Poppa about
when I get home tomorrow."
	Usagi grinned at Chibi-Usa, careful not to remind her
that Momma and Poppa would remember about the eclipse on 
their own.  She sat down next to her.  "Excited about going
home?"
	"Un!  And I bet Hotaru-chan's grown up enough to 
where we can play with each other once again," Chibi-Usa 
pulled back the covers and got in between them.  
	Usagi thought for a moment.  It had been a question 
on her mind ever since Chibi-Usa came back to the 20th
century.  From the beginning she had shown no surprise at
Haruka and Michiru being Sailor Uranus and Neptune.  It
was most likely Chibi-Usa knew about them from the moment
she came back.  Still...
	"Say, Chibi-Usa?" Usagi asked carefully.  Mamoru 
walked out of the bathroom dressed in pajama bottoms with
a towel slung around his shoulders just in time to hear
Usagi.
	"Hmmm?" Chibi-Usa asked.  Luna-P floated over the
bed and came down to rest next to her.
	"Do you remember Haruka-san and Michiru-san from when
you were younger?"
	Chibi-Usa yawned and nodded.  "Un!  They weren't 
around though.  They seemed to like Momma and Poppa but did
not really come to the Crystal Palace.  They mainly stayed
in their own kingdoms to protect Crystal Tokyo.  Demo, they
were in another galaxy when the Black Moon came."
	Usagi nodded.  "What about Sailor Saturn?"
	"Oh, there wasn't a Sailor Saturn," Chibi-Usa's voice
grew fainted as she drifted off to sleep.  "I heard Momma 
got to keep her Holy Grail because Sailor Saturn was killed
a long time ago.  Night, Usagi."
	"Night, Chibi-Usa," Usagi managed to say before 
Mamoru grabbed her hand and led her outside onto the
balcony.
	"There's no Sailor Saturn in the 30th century?"
he asked in a low voice so he wouldn't disturb Chibi-Usa.
	"But Neo-Queen Serenity had the Holy Grail," Usagi
said.  "The grail was destroyed in the battle with Pharoah
90."
	Mamoru sat down on a lounge he recently bought for 
the balcony for Usagi and Chibi-Usa to use.  He drew Usagi
onto his lap.  "That solves the final mystery," he said,
hugging her around her waist.
	"What mystery?" Usagi asked.  She looked back at him.
	"Well, we can assume Chibi-Usa never met Hotaru 
before she came back to the 20th century.  If you had never
met Hotaru, she would had been killed by Haruka and 
Michiru.  That would have prevented Mistress 9 and Pharoah
90 from showing up, but it also changed the future."
	"And?"
	"I think I know the reason why Neo-Queen Serenity and
King Endymion sent Chibi-Usa back to the 20th century.  
Isn't it odd for them to send her back here after what 
happened with the Black Moon?  Couldn't the senshi of the
future train Chibi-Usa how to be a senshi?"
	"Un," Usagi nodded.  She leaned her head on Mamoru's
chest.  "I figured Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion 
would want some time to themselves as well.  What happened
must had shaken their marriage...our marriage to the core.
They had to rebuild a city and it would be easier with 
Chibi-Usa back here."
	"Hai.  But, I think the main reason why Chibi-Usa 
came back to the past was to meet Hotaru and make sure that
Sailor Saturn exsisted.  I think what happened just made 
the future a whole lot brighter."
	Usagi smiled.  "I guess Neo-Queen Serenity regretted
that Hotaru did not have a chance to grown up.  By things
happening the way they did, she gets the chance now.  I did
make the right decision after all.  Our daughter caused a
miracle."
	"You caused some miracles as well," Mamoru turned 
Usagi around until her face was inches from his.  "My girls
are two amazing people."
	"Speak for yourself," Usagi said, her hand moving up
his chest until it covered his heart.  "We wouldn't be who
we are without you.  And thanks to the three of us, we have
a much brighter future."
	He didn't say another word.  Instead, he closed the
distance between them and drew her into a deep kiss.
	Inside the apartment, Chibi-Usa hugged her pillow for
a moment, then felt something disturb her sleep.  She 
blinked her eyes open, then sat up.  She saw she stood in a
forest with trees that were taller than she could see.  
Lush, green grass carpeted the area with bushes of berries
clumped together near the trees.  Flowers were scattered
throughout the area.  She slowly got to her feet.
	"Where am I?" she asked around.  She heard a sound
behind her that made her whirl around and gasp.
	Before her stood a white pegasus.


	The End