As Endymion’s energy flowed into her, temporarily halting the Silver Moon Crystal’s deterioration, Serenity stirred and opened her eyes, and found herself lying on her bed in the bedroom she shared with Endymion. His was the first face she saw when she looked up, and she smiled. Relief filled her—that he was here, that he hadn’t left her even until the end.

For she knew this was to be the end.

She looked around and saw everyone else’s faces. Usa, Ami, Rei, Mako, Minako… Even Diana was there. And… was that Helios? Serenity didn’t know how or why he was here, but he was, and he’d talk to Usa for sure now, and everything was going to be alright. She didn’t have to worry about that anymore. She turned back to her husband and smiled gratefully, somehow sensing that he had helped in achieving this.

“Everyone’s here,” she said contentedly and sighed. “I’m so glad.”

Just like she had always wanted. She could feel the crystal inside her yearning to return to the cauldron, and knew the place she had only visited once in that decisive battle so long ago was calling to her.

She wished she had the energy for one last cake, but alas.

“Be good to each other,” she whispered, her voice barely strong enough to project to the entire room full of people. “Usa… remember what I said. And Endymion, my love.” She managed to lift her hand to touch his cheek. “You’ll take care of our daughter, right?”

She tried not to cry as she looked at everyone else’s faces. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you for your thousand years of allegiance and service. For all the sacrifices you’ve made in my name. All I’ve ever wanted… was for everyone to be happy.”

Artemis also felt a negative sensation all of a sudden, causing him to stand up straight. He didn't immediately realize what that meant, momentarily dismissing it as just his imagination, but Mina's reaction made him shudder.

Could it be...?

Diana's voice confirmed that dreadful thought soon enough. He headed to the queen's study with Mina and saw it for himself as well.

Even knowing this would happen, that it was coming... It felt wrong all the same.

It was never easy. Not even after an eternity.

Soon enough the rest of the girls and Endymion made it to the scene, and took her to her bedroom. Artemis stayed behind, waiting for Luna first.

The only thing he could do right now was to be there for her, after all.

Just as he spotted her running through the corridor, Saturn also arrived, asking where they were. With that, the three of them left to join the others into Serenity's room as well.

As Serenity was speaking what seemed to be her last words, Artemis glanced at Luna. Seemingly thinking the same, they changed to their human forms, considering it more appropriate for the moment.

Luna was doing her best not to burst out crying -- not now, not before she left. She did not want that to be the last thing her queen, her friend, saw of her. Still unable to prevent some tears forming at the corners of her eyes, she softly smiled at her.

Artemis simply stood by her side, holding her hand in support and comfort.

Halfway towards the palace, she heard Diana's voice through the communicator, pinpointing the reason for that momentary feeling.

Her connection to the former queen was no longer as strong, having essentially shifted duties into protecting her daughter instead. But it was still there. The battles they fought together were still a part of their history.

As she arrived outside Chibiusa-chan's study, he spotted Diana's father waiting. "Artemis! Where are they?" she demanded. Luna also arrived at that moment, and prompted by the white feline, the three of them headed for Serenity's bedroom.

Once inside, she proceeded to stand by her best friend, placing her hand on her shoulder.

She looked at Serenity, a bittersweet smile forming at her lips. It was sad that this had to happen. Death was always sad. But at the same time, throughout all the hardships they faced, they made it, didn't they?

They endured everything that struck them and got their happy ending. Departing from this world by old age. Not by everything that tried to kill them. That was an accomplishment by itself. And a mission fulfilled at last.

Could there be a happy ending without an ending, after all?

"Thank you... Usagi-san..." she softly whispered. She had not used that name in millennia, but at that moment, she could not help remembering her the way she first met her.

Sailor Moon.

The room was familiar and nostalgic. The decor seemed to have changed very little since she had been a small child, although it seemed less grand than it had once been. Maybe that was just because she had gotten taller. The large soft bed had once been a sanctuary, the place she ran to when she was scared of a thunderstorm or desperate for comforting. Mama and Papa used to pull her in beside them, securely cocooning her within their boundless love and warmth. Her eyes caught a glimpse of trinkets on the side table, and she remembered so many afternoons that involved sneaking in with Diana to look at Mama's precious jewels and amulets.

This was the last time it would feel like this.

But at least it was what Mama wanted. Those sapphire eyes, clearer than the sky, projected happiness and acceptance as they surveyed the assembled group. She wouldn't be alone. They were all here. Lady only wished they had more time.

She thought that the silvery-haired figure would be eternal. Wasn't that what had been indicated after all she had overcome? There were so many things that Lady regretted now. Her mother was present for her coronation, yes—and she was very glad she had been able to do that for her—but what about a wedding? Or grandchildren? All of those were things that Usagi would have adored even if they were the "normal girls" that her mother's younger self had always longed to be. She knew that the woman would have treasured and doted on a grandchild. If only she could have seen her mother, who had loved her so much, with another generation...

If only she hadn't waited so long for everything.

Helios was here—somehow she had felt a vague fluttering in her heart even before she saw his pale form silently sweeping after her father, like a ghostly shadow. But this wasn't the time to work through their confused issues. And he was too distant, now, to provide the support she needed. Even now he stood at her father's side, not at hers. But she had Hotaru's hand on her shoulder, and that was what she focused on.

When her mother stirred and spoke, Lady stepped forward and knelt quietly at the bedside, cradling the too-cool hand that was not the one reaching for her father. She cupped it softly within her own, remembering all the times she had been embraced both by Usagi and Mama. They were the same, but they were also different, and they were both people she would miss with her entire heart.

"I'll always remember," she whispered, trying to keep the tears from silencing her voice. "I love you. I'll miss you, Usagi. Sailor Moon. Mama."

As her parents assumed their human forms, so did Diana. She did not feel fatigued after running alongside the group that rushed the poor dying queen to her private chambers. She did not feel the overwhelming sorrow that she could see reflected on the faces of those surrounding her. Instead, she felt only a sense of calm, buffeted by her own belief in the amazing power of Neo Queen Serenity.

This was how it should be. This was what the universe had in store for all of them. She knew of the Galaxy Cauldron. She knew of what had been told of the strange battle there. That was where stars were sent when they died, and where new stars were born. That cycle, so evenly balanced, was something they were all a part of.

Neo Queen Serenity would live on in their hearts, all of their hearts, until someday they joined her. And perhaps, someday, they would continue on... together... as new stars.

He sat on the bed beside her, his legs stretched out, his torso turned towards her, one hand linked to hers, the other supporting him as he threw nearly everything he had into pulling her back, just for a moment, just for this moment. As her eyes fluttered open, he smiled down at her, tears determinedly hugging the corners of his eyes. Her last memory would not be collapsing alone in a hallway and wasting away in a coma until it was her time, but in her room, surrounded by her friends and family. He knew that was what she would want - to be able to say her goodbyes, not only for her own sake but for theirs. As she smiled up at him his heart constricted painfully; even after all this time, she could still make him feel like a lovestruck teenager. He casually pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it softly as she spoke, relieved to hear her voice filled with contentment rather than strain.

As her hand reached for his cheek, he leaned in to meet it and nodded: he would make sure Usa was taken care of, though, perhaps, not by him. He didn't speak; he felt he didn't need to. She knew how much he loved her. He was content to simply be near her for as long as he could.

Ami was deathly quiet as Endymion placed Serenity on the bed, and she opened her eyes again. She was so weak now, but even as she was fading away, she still worried about the rest of them. Ami knew it was her time, but she still wanted to refuse it. A part of her was still searching for some form of a cure, blaming herself for being too slow to act. But one person could only escape death so many times... Why did she have to go first?

Serenity just wanted them to be happy, and Ami still couldn't help but tear up.

"Usagi-chan...-" It was more of a choked sound than words, and she covered her mouth with her hands in a now futile attempt to keep composure. It'd been a thousand years, but she still remembered Usagi taking her to the arcade with Luna. Her first friend. And now... 

"I...I'll do my best..." She didn't know if it was possible to be happy again, but she'd try.

Rei stared at the prone form of her greatest friend, and her greatest failure. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Rei was a guardian, a protector. She wasn't meant to outlive the one person she did everything in her power to save. Thousands of memories flitted through her mind, recalling all of the joy, all of the anger, all of the love.

What would she do without her? How could anyone attempt to be happy without her in their lives?

Was it even possible?

Rei could feel the tears stinging at her eyes, but she ignored them as she continued to stare at Serenity, not wanting to take her eyes away from the fading woman. If she looked away, what would she see when she looked back?

Everyone began to say things to Serenity, things that sounded like goodbyes, and Rei balked at the very idea. No. No, she wasn't ready, couldn't possibly be ready for this. Thoughts of saying goodbye to her grandfather as he, too, faded in his bed, thoughts of saying goodbye to her mother as she was lowered into the ground. How could she do it again?

"Usagi..." Rei began, trying to hold back her tears as she hesitated, unsure how to go on. So she settled on the one idea that kept her from breaking down completely. "We'll always be with you. No matter what."

They wouldn't have to wait long before joining her. The world wasn't that cruel, at least.

Minako had never felt so vulnerable in her life as when she was facing the certain death of her princess, knowing there was nothing she could do about it. This had happened once, long ago. But back then, it was more brutal, more violent, more shocking. More heart-shattering.

This… Serenity was going in peace this time, and Minako could see that she was okay—perhaps even relieved—about it. And it was the only thing that reminded her that it was going to be okay. That and the knowledge that she soon would be together with Serenity again.

They had not failed. They had fulfilled their duty up until the end.

Of course, seeing Rei, she knew the other girl probably didn’t think that way.

There were a lot of people jostling for contact, so Minako opted to squeeze Serenity’s shoulder, trying not to flinch at how much colder she’d become even now. “We’re all going to be okay…” she said softly, “…Usagi-chan.”

It felt odd speaking the name she hadn’t spoken in a thousand years, but like the others, it felt right to invoke right now. To remind everyone that even though she had adopted the same name, Neo Queen Serenity was forever going to be different from their Silver Millennium princess, and that the girl they loved was Usagi Tsukino.

“See you soon. You’d better wait for us,” she added with a playful tone.

And finally, unable to keep the façade of smiles anymore, she dropped her mask for the last time for her queen and let the tears flow. “We love you so much.”

He could feel it in the weakness of her pulse, sense it the tenuous shine of her inner light; she was straining to stay there through everyone's goodbyes, but, even with his help, the draw to the Cauldron was too strong to postpone. As her hand grew limp in his, his grip tightened, his heart hammering as his composure slowly but surely eroded; finally he was forced to not only consider, but to face her departure - there was no escape, no waking up, no shaking the visions away: it was real, and it was now, and she was dying.

He brought her hand up to kiss again, the chill on his lips doing little to relieve the terror that slowly built in his chest. It was irrational, he told himself; he knew it was coming, had time to prepare for it - he shouldn't be this afraid, but he was. How could he live his life without her? They had been together so long, their paths inexorably intertwined: she was the day to his night, the life in his veins, the second set of footprints - how could he wake up without her? His hand shook, but still he kept her hand pressed to him, staring down into those eyes that he knew so well, eyes he would never see within these halls again --

And there he found his peace. 

She was not afraid, not now, not faced with death and, worst for her, being separated from everyone. She was calm and so filled with love and peace that she steadied him completely; for thousands of years she had called him her rock, but in moments like these, when there was no enemy to fight but that of fear and doubt, she was who he depended on, always so sure of herself and her strength, shining brightly despite what she was faced with. His hand stopped shaking, and he leaned down and kissed her properly, if gently. This was what was right in this world. This was where he was meant to be - with her. Whether in life or in death, his place was by her side. Fate had tried once to separate them and failed; this time, it would fail, too. 

"I love you," he murmured, the strength of his conviction showing itself in his eyes rather than his voice, in his body rather than his tone; the emotion was hers, and hers alone. Death would not stop it; it never had before.

Everyone’s words felt like an embrace around her, cocooning her in their love and warmth. At that moment, Serenity wondered what it was about her that made her so lucky, to be loved by these many people, to have such amazing friends, and a husband who stayed by her side eternally. Most people could barely have love that lasted a lifetime, and she’d had it for a millennia. Here, on her death bed, all she could do was count her blessings, and wished everyone else well for however long they were meant to stay in this world. And then, in a distant day somewhere in the future, hopefully not too long, they would all be together again. She would wait for as long as she needed to in the Cauldron to make sure that they were reunited and reincarnated together again.

Her eyes found each of them in turn, remembering how they each first met, all the memories of her very long life flashing before her eyes. “I love you,” she said in return, conveying the sincere truth in her heart. “I love you all.”

And then Endymion gave her a goodbye kiss, one that would send her into slumber instead of waking her up this time. She smiled and looked into his gentle blue eyes, finding comfort that they would be one of the last things she saw.

“Find me again,” she whispered to him, “and let’s fall in love again.”

With those words, the last of her energy finally left her. The Silver Moon Crystal dimmed until it lost its glow entirely, like a machine that was powered off for the first time in a thousand years. Her eyes fluttered closed, her skin lost all warmth that remained, and the former queen did not move again.

She felt the tears down her face like a sudden and strange sensation. The gray-haired young woman steadied her breath and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to quiet her sniffles. Diana did not cry solely of her own accord—the overarching emotions of the room weighed upon her, the love tinged bittersweet with sorrow. Of course their sweet former queen would be missed. How could she not be? But still, as always, there was hope. That same hope she felt in her own heart, now resonating with everyone assembled.

Neo Queen Serenity... she would live on in their memories in their hearts: the legendary Sailor Moon.

She did not interrupt her parents' moment; this was something special and private, just for them two. Still, Lady did not release her hold on her mother's hand. She had believed in Sailor Moon and fought by her side for so many years. Even now, with all that had changed, Lady wanted to remain near her, supporting her, demonstrating her love and filial devotion. Just for this moment she managed to silence and push back her own fears of failure and inadequacy. There would be time for that later—so much time... Right now, these last moments were too precious to stain with doubt.

And then she felt it. The last lingering bit of light and warm seemed to evaporate, swiftly but not suddenly. The cool hand she held reverted to mere container, this time empty of life and energy. Lady could only sense her own skin and residual body heat reflected back at her. Nothing else. Mama was gone.

Still kneeling beside the bed, she dropped her head atop the arms that stretched out before her, the hands still clasped, and quietly sobbed.

Her whispered words were met with a nod and a reply, but the latter came too late, the light in her eyes fading and lashes closing as "Always" resounded in deaf ears, but while his promise was lost on her, he did not despair; Serenity was gone, true, but he would be reunited with her soon and he could repeat the words then. He stared down at her form for a few moments more, releasing her hand, laying it gently across her stomach to gently trace the line of her face.

Soft sobs drew his attention away; he looked up to Usa crying and straightened, his hand moving forward to take one of hers gently, offering his support as his eyes glanced around the room for Helios, finding him standing in the background, his demeanor befitting a deathbed but his eyes only for Lady, looking trapped in wanting to go to her but restraining himself from doing so, until they glanced to meet his gaze and looked away from them both guiltily. "Is he the one?" he asked her quietly, recognizing the impropriety of the question, but needing to know, to hear it from her, before he continued with the plan he was sure now would work. 

Fate couldn't keep them separated.

For just a moment—half of a moment, even—she felt the pressure of another's hand on hers and thought it was Mama; thought that everything was alright, somehow—just one more miracle in a truly miraculous life, but almost as soon as the unrealistic hope bubbled to the surface, it burst. It also was not the hand of someone once-dear who had become so distant... She knew the warmth that reached for her. It was that which had always provided comfort; a light that glimmered no matter how dark of a place she found herself: her father.

She blinked through her tears, vision hazy, and turned towards him—a natural and instinctive reaction, like sunflowers leaning towards the warm rays that nourish them. Lady knew that she was not alone... Papa must have felt this terrible loss more strongly than she did, but he remained peaceful. There was an acceptance and resignation in his stoic glance. But there was... something else, too...

Her eyes widened for a moment, the heart thudding a single beat in her chest, as Papa voiced a question on the topic of so much fear and confusion. She understood it as though he had spoken volumes, despite the brevity.

Was he the one?

Those Gordian knot of her insecurity and worry tightened. Self-sabotage at its finest, she doubted everything. In this moment, she didn't think of her past. She thought of her future—was this mysterious man the person she wanted to have by her side, to weather the changing tides as her support, an equal partner in all things? Memories fluttered through her mind, so many things that she had tried to suppress before now. She recalled the trill down her spine when that soft voice spoke not her birth name or title, but that which he had once called her so long ago in dreams. She thought of the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he listened to her, the golden hue seeming to shift like liquid—as though her words were all that existed in that moment. The press of his lips against hers... How had it felt? Had his actions really demonstrated a changing heart... or was so much of that her own perception, succumbing to fear? He couldn't hurt her if she didn't let him in. Was that what she tried to do? Protect herself from loss... like what she experienced right now... by withdrawing?

Was Mama's death such a tragedy that she would have preferred to never know that bright, hopeful young girl known as "Usagi"?

No.

Never...!

Did she want to be alone? Did she want to let him walk away, to never see him again?

Lady swallowed, hard, her heart beating like a bird dashing itself wildly against the bars of a cage. As though it didn't care how much it hurt itself, so long as it could get out.

Her attention was captured the first time he showed her the beauty of his mystical realm. She hadn't known who he was, if he was friend or foe, yet he treated her with such gentleness and respect. Her heart was his the moment he spoke softly to her and called her "Maiden", recognizing in her something no one else had. He had chosen her beautiful dream as his sanctuary. She had protected him and fought for him, and they had kept their promise.

Did she want to break so many other promises, now?

She answered her father with the gentle squeeze of a delicate hand with trembling fingers.

Yes.

The slight pressure was all that he needed. He squeezed her hand in return and gently let it go, straightening up and getting off the bed to move around it, calling Helios closer with a glance as he retook at seat beside Serenity on Lady's side and gently retook her hand, completely at peace. When Helios approached, he took his hand, too. Everything was falling into place. He might not be around for her wedding, but he could at least give her away. 

"Will you take care of her?" he asked, pinning Helios in place with his gaze, giving Helios the same question Serenity had asked of him. He did not do so casually; while he trusted the priest for advice, events of late - hiding his condition from her first and foremost - required him to ask it aloud, for all of its implications. Usa's life had never been easy; she deserved to find and keep her love for the entirety of her life, but if he wasn't on board, or didn't think he could do it... But he knew Helios was up to it. More than that, he felt Helios wanted that; he just needed an opportunity to do so.

The golden eyes that looked back at him did so with something akin to betrayal. "I - I cannot," he replied quietly, shame in his tone and awkwardness in his stance, a response Endymion should have expected but had overlooked. Helios's looming fate hung before them both, but he had not meant to highlight in that way.

"If you could?" he pressed.

"Then I would," he replied, then turning to look down at Usa, uncertainty about him, "If she would have me."

It was all he needed to hear. Concrete words, promises to remember back on. Keeping his eyes locked on his Elysion Priest, Endymion gave him the one enduring piece of advice that he had learned from their lives together: "Then never let anything as trivial as death stand in your way." In one smooth motion, Endymion released Helios's hand to kneel before his Small Lady, leaning in to kiss her once on her forehead. "You deserve the happiness that we shared; I may not be there for your wedding, and I regret that, but know that I love you and for you I want the best."

Swiftly he stood, releasing her hand to put both hands on Helios's shoulders, relying on the full power of his psychometry to force the transfer through. Helios looked shocked at first, and as Endymion applied energetic pressure and the Golden Crystal's near-infinite supply of energy began flowing into Helios's being, the priest shook his head. He focused, changing the regenerative energy into a penetrative force that broke through to the Priest's fading star seed, healing and refueling it with the pure life energy of the planet; it was stage one of what he had envisioned; if it held, which it must, he could move on to phase two, but it was getting difficult to keep complete contact as Helios shook his head more emphatically, understanding what he was attempting. 

Endymion squeezed with both hands, using his youthful strength to overpower the fading man before him, for though he grew stronger with the added energy Endymion still had full control of it. "Promise me," he intoned, pushing more of Earth's energy into Helios's seed, and then down, back to his own source, tethering Earth more to the star seed than the Golden Crystal born of it, "that you will do the same for your child."

Helios turned his head to focus on Lady, and nodded once; the resistance to his powers ceased. 

More and more he directed the energy from the Earth to the Golden Crystal, from Golden Crystal to Helio's star seed, and from the star seed back to the Earth, with each successive loop moving through the Golden Crystal less and less, forcing it to change the path to skip his crystal entirely; it was difficult, using and directing the power despite taking himself out of the picture, but as he released control and the process continued, he believed it could work: while Helios was not holder of the Star Seed of Earth, Earth could fuel his star seed and grant him that near eternal life that would have belonged to him, Endymion. By taking his crystal out of the picture, the life energy of the planet would not fuel his life, and, despite still being holder of the Sailor Crystal of Earth, he would have nothing to fuel him and, like Serenity, he would pass on. 

As he let go, the path very nearly completed, he could feel the weakness setting in, his bones weary and his thoughts heavy. When at last it was done, the energy leaving him with a snap, he, too, looked at his Small Lady, his hands falling from Helios's shoulders as he fell back onto the bed, sitting once again by Serenity, and lost consciousness.

After the power transference, everyone expected Endymion to follow his wife to the Cauldron. However, to everyone’s surprise, he still had a pulse, and later that night, he woke up. An analysis of his vitals showed that he no longer possessed his immortality, but as far as he was concerned, he was a healthy man in the age he appeared to be; mid-twenties. And that he would continue to be healthy, until he reached the natural old age for humans before Crystal Tokyo came to reign.

This gave him a lifespan of more than another sixty years, to his dismay. However, this was of course good news for the new queen, for he could give her away on her wedding to Helios, when they finally came together and realized that they were meant to be all along. The rest of Neo Queen Serenity’s court succumbed to the same fate as their queen, however, over the span of the next year after Serenity’s death. Endymion was there for each and every one of them as they said their goodbyes. Venus was the first, followed quickly by Mars, who did not seem to want to outlive her for much longer. Mercury came next, and then Uranus and Neptune, also together. Jupiter stayed the longest for her family, but eventually followed.

Saturn and Pluto remained steadfast, now officially part of Queen Lady Serenity’s court.

And finally, at the age of ninety, the former King Endymion was allowed his rest, and went to embrace death like the old friend he had waited for a long time, relieved to finally be able to be reunited with the queen he had missed and been separated from for more than half a century.

And so ended the reign of Neo Queen Serenity’s court.