Usagi's senses returned to her and she pulled away from Earth. "What can I do to save him?" she thought.

The four elements, still frozen by the dark soldier's powers shook their tears away. They eyed each other, sharing a common thought. "What can we do?"

"You wish to save this world even now? Even after this terrible, unrepairable wave of destruction?" an unfamiliar voice questioned.

"Yes, this world is very precious to us and the people who have survived deserve to be able to move forward," Usagi whispered. "Please give us the power to save everyone. Give me the strength to fight against her."

Earth's dark blue eyes gazed into the blond princess' for a moment. She watched silent tears continued to stream down Usagi’s face. Earth smiled as Usagi wiggled, trying to escape her strong hold.

"Usa.... no, my Serenity, why do you want to part with me? I am your beloved, aren't I?"

"Mamo-chan," was all the girl could say as she covered her face with her hands.

Her black dress swirled about her legs as Earth moved closer to the crying girl. She stopped directly in front of Usagi and took her gently into her arms. "Shhhh. It's okay. I'm here. Love me as I am now."

Usagi’s hands moved from her face to the dark woman’s shoulders. With glazed eyes, Usagi turned her head and gently rested her cheek on Earth’s chest. Something was drawing her in, a sense of familiarity, of that one person.... her special person, a feeling that he was there with her. "Mamo-chan..." she started, "We'll be together, right? You and I, forever."

"That's right, Serenity. Forever."

A small light shone on them, glimmering for only an instant, and the blond girl caught sight of something she had almost forgotten-a ring from her beloved Mamoru, her prince who was reborn for her. "My dearest Endymion," she said softly, "I will see you again and again. Once more we will dance in the softness of the moonlight."

"Serenity, what do you mean?" The woman asked in a wary tone. Though Mamoru's essence was inside of her, Earth’s will continued to prevail. With each gain of strength, another piece of Mamoru died. Soon, all that he was and all that he would have been would die inside her.

"If I wait any longer I might not be able to see you ever again, so I must go away for now, I must save this planet and you, my love," the princess continued. "Help me now."

The dark woman felt something inside of her. A part of Mamoru struggled, and though he was weak she felt him more than ever. She looked down at Serenity and saw the Silver Crystal resting outside of her chest. She looked back to see the Golden Crystal had appeared in front of her, much in the same way. White wings sprouted out of Serenity's back as a flash of light engulfed them. At the same moment a pair of black wings spread from Earth’s back and the two rose into the air. A sensation of no longer being in control overwhelmed Earth as they rose higher into the light.

Below, the four elemental soldiers fell to the ground, released from their bindings. As they lay on the ground looking up at the brilliant light, they felt their bodies loosing all power. They were disappearing with Mamoru's waning spirit. Slowly, they all stood to their feet and joined each other. "What we should have done in the first place...." Fire whispered.

"....we will do now." Wind continued as she held her hand to her chest.

Terra smiled softly as she looked at the other girls, then removed her glove to reveal her ring. "We will join with him, give him the last of our chi, our spirit...."

"...and hopefully save him this time." Water said as she dropped her glove to the ground and put her hand forward.

Gloves removed, each girl placed her ring hand on top of the others. The colors spread into a rose pattern and shot into the sky. The large screen displayed the light as it surrounded Serenity and Earth.

The girls shared one last smile with each other. Then they shouted in unison "Eternal Earth Power!"

As they did the light consumed them and they became one with its iridescent power. The two knights looked on in horror before they were knocked back by the backlash of the soldier’s transformation.

Earth felt the wave of power from the four spirits of the soldiers. The light, which had formed the rose, flew into her. "They sacrificed themselves for him."

"As my soldiers did for me," Serenity answered.

Earth could see no more hurt or pain in the eyes of the angelic girl. Determination and strength had taken its place. "There's no way to stop this, Serenity. The sun will go out forever. Even I can do nothing now. You'll die if you try to stop it."

Serenity's arms shot out to her sides as the Silver Crystal let forth a burst of power. "Rebirth," she said, "We hold the power of the stars to be reborn. A cauldron rests somewhere, a place where stars are born... after this we will go there. We will start over and I will find him once more. My dearest love, Endymion."

Earth looked at her in amazement. Serenity took the woman into her arms and held on to her tightly. Earth wrapped her arms around the girl, unable to help herself. Endymion was inside of her, was her, and he spoke through her. "Somewhere I lost my way. I became a force that would hurt you. In the garden of time we'll meet again, my beautiful Serenity."

The light that was around them brightened as the two crystals gained strength. The force from the power ripped at their dresses until there was nothing left of them, only pure bodies glowing in the light. As Serenity kissed the girl, she kissed Endymion and a surge of energy flew toward the darkened sun.

More swiftly than the eclipse, the sun shone again as brightly as ever. As the sun’s light hit the two women with angel wings, they felt their bodies dissipate.

Usagi's eyes flew open and she jumped from her sleeping position. She absorbed the surroundings around her and noticed that she had been laying on a crystal table. On the side of the table was the inscription, ‘Serenity, New Queen of the Silver Millennium.’ Adorning her body was a short, simple white dress with straps that tied around at the back of her neck. A fog floated above the floor, and as she slipped off the table her bare feet disappeared in the milky white smoke.

As she walked further, she realized she knew the place she was in. It was home, her home in Crystal Tokyo. How long had she been unconscious? Where was everyone? "Mamo-chaaaaaan!" she cried.

The only response she received was her own voice echoing through the halls. Again and again she called out as she ran through the palace "Mamo-chan! Everyone! Where are you? Mamo-chaaan!"

"Mamo-chan," she whispered in a cracked voice. She had reached her limits and could no longer hold herself together. Usagi fell to her knees and began to cry. It lasted but moments before she was able to pull herself together. Then she heard it. A soft humming sound coming from not too far away. It sounded like people, lots of people, speaking as one. Quickly she arose to her feet and sprinted in its direction.

She came to a balcony and as she ran to its edge she found herself looking over all of her kingdom. People were gathered from all over, cheering and celebrating. She could only make out a few sentences. "The queen has awoken today!"

"The Earth has been cleansed of evil!"

"Long-live Neo-Queen Serenity!"

"We celebrate today!"

"Everyone is safe," she thought to herself, "but where is everyone? I almost forgot. They all died in that battle. I'm all alone. Why didn't I get taken? Why did only I survive?"

Then something appeared. It was as bright as the sun if not more so. The light lessened and she was able to make out a tiny figure. Her fiery hair was shaped into loose loops and the long trails of her hair blew in a breeze, which seemed to touch her alone. Garbed in a short golden-white dress and wearing a small crown on her head, she seemed to exude a regal and heavenly air. Adding to her angelic appearance were a pair of wings, which extended from her back.

Although the angel's face held a serene, Madonna look, unlike the troubled one, which it had owned before, Usagi recognized her without a second glance. "Hogosha-chan."

"It has been a long time, Usagi," she replied. "I've missed your cheerfulness so much. You've grown quite a bit, in spirit as well as physically, and through it all you kept your promise to me. You protected everyone."

"Where are we?" Usagi asked, looking around.

"A cauldron where stars are born," the woman replied.

"This is the cauldron? I thought it was Crystal Tokyo."

"It is and it isn't. You alone have been born again from the stars but you have not let yourself leave this place fully. You are touching both places right now with your spirit."

"Where's Mamo-chan?"

"He's here, as are the others. Look," she said as she directed Usagi’s eyes with a gesture of her hand.

Usagi looked beyond her hand to see in the distance. She could faintly hear music playing.

The crowd rose from their seats, cheering, as the four elements senshi ended their last song, their favorite, Moonlight Destiny. Although each heart beat as its own, the four shared a feeling of growing excitement. They basked in the crowd's praise, knowing their performance had reached perfection. The girls shaded their eyes from the bright flashes of fireworks, and looked out at the sea of people. They bowed to the fans, and with a wave, exited the stage.

Usagi looked harder and noticed they weren't there at all. Just four lights of energy. She could hardly find the words to pose her question. Before she could say anything the Guardian of Light responded "Yes, they are not truly reborn. They never had star seeds to be reborn with."

"Then how--" Usagi started.

"They were spirits of the Earth born from the star seed of Earth, the Golden Crystal, to help it grow. This was long before a soldier was born around the seed to protect the planet. Fire, Water, Wind, Terra, each developed the land and sky for the prince to be born. When his life was taken they vowed to protect him and so when he was reborn so were they and obtained from him, the power to be soldiers. Chiba Mamoru, the reborn prince, Endymion, his seed has been tampered with. To save them would mean to loose him. I must purge them from existence if he is to be reborn with all of you."

"No!" Usagi shot out.

"Then show me. If there was something that made them individual, something that made them who they were, instead of who he is, it would be possible. They could be born as they are now."

Usagi closed her eyes and the power of her crystal resonated with the light of the Guardian. In her mind were images of feelings and uniqueness of each of the girls. Their studies, their feelings and reactions to situations, the loves they came to find. All this, the Guardian of Light found through Usagi. As the princess opened her eyes she saw a smile in the woman's lips. "You like to prove me wrong, Usagi."

Usagi smiled at the woman.

Usagi looked once more and saw the spirits. They appeared before her and she watched as the girls began to take form around four crystal star seeds. Their outfits changed from that of their soldier forms to a more regal bearing. "They will come to live with me and protect the sun from invaders. We will rebuild the Sun Kingdom. After all, there must be some reward for recovering my knights."

From behind a set of heavy curtains, stepped a huge man clad in armor. He bore a long bright green pony-tail. His face was uncovered and Usagi recognized him as the star warrior, Alpha Centauri. She stared in disbelief. Water and Terra's hands locked together as they caught sight of two men who stepped from behind him. Tears filled Water's eyes as she realized who it was. Terra bit her lip as she held back her own tears. Takashi and Yukio bowed to the Guardian then faced the soldiers. Water ran into Yukio's open arms and wrapped her arms around the metal protecting him. With an upturned face, she gazed at him with a look of adoration. Her eyes closed as their lips moved closer, and she sighed when they locked in a kiss. Terra only stared at Takashi as he bent down on one knee and gently kissed her hand. "We realized what we were born to do. I know what I was born to do."

He looked up her and she smiled. Then, without warning, she leaned down towards him and placed her lips on his. Loosing their balance they both fell to the ground, lost in the mist still covering the floor. They sat up again blushing bright red. Everyone laughed.

"These gentle stars will come with me," the Guardian of Light declared once more. "We must depart."

"Hogosha-chan, wait! Mamo-chan! Where is he? Will he be reborn as he was, like us? What about the dark Earth woman, did she take him completely?"

A wave of light flew from the guardian to the blond girl. She instantly fell to the ground, lost in the mist. "You must awaken, New Queen of the Silver Millennium."

Usagi lay in a deep sleep. Though the mist was cold she did not feel it as she was only living in her mind at the moment. Her unconscious mind began to wander. "I lost him. I left him behind in this time garden. I don't want to be without him. Endymion, will we meet again next time?"

A figure walked into the room. As if obeying a command, the mist crept out of the room, revealing the blond girl lying on the floor. She was no longer wearing the short-skirted dress but was instead adorned with the white gown of her regal self. The figure lifted her with careful hands and carried her to the crystal table she had awoken on before.

Gentle lips brushed against her own and she twitched from the feeling. As she did the surrealism of the palace disappeared and it seemed that the cauldron had left them. As she lifted her eyelids a blurred image of a human figure filled her vision. The black hair was unmistakable and the lavender clothing was beautiful. "Serenity," the voice softly called.

She blinked away the blur to find Endymion before her, as handsome and kind as always. The blond girl noticed that around her were eight women, sailor soldiers, her sailor soldiers. She could not contain herself. Tears of joy streamed down her face. Then she turned her attention back to the man in front of her. She removed his white mask and stared deep into the blue eyes that still reminded her of the Earth. "Endymion."

"Serenity, not next time. Here, now, in this life, we shall live together."

She threw her arms around him as he leaned down closer to her. They shared a passionate kiss as the cheers from outside continued from the crowd. Laughter and celebration continued but they did not hear it. They were together. This time they could be for a lifetime, and maybe more. A love that lives across the ages, the moon goddess Serenity and her destined love, Endymion.

Stars are born... Stars burn out ....
The seed of life will always be born again....
The power of love will guide them....
And an eternal soldier will always be protecting them....
.....Sailor Moon.