Konichiwa, minna-san. Here's the epilogue to "Of Time and Destiny" (thanks
to Phillip Masters for the new title). If you would like the other
chapters, please e-mail me at subramrs@slic.com.

Sailor Moon is copyright Takeuchi Naoko.

"Of Time and Destiny" by AloshaSitaJasmine (Sailor Avalon)
Epilogue: “Un Nouveau Commencement” or “A Dream Worth Keeping”

	The sun sank below the horizon, but Mars didn’t notice the brilliant meld
of colors that brightened the sky as the light faded into cool darkness.
She was completely absorbed in the lettering of the cold stone grave in
front of her and he memories of its inhabitant.
	“Justin...” she whispered. “How could you leave me all alone like this?”
Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the grass below, but she didn’t
notice them. All she saw were the small letters engraved on the stone, the
small letters engraved on the stone, the letters that spelled out the
beautiful name of her love.
	A voice spoke behind her. “It’s cold. You should be inside.”
	“The cold has never bothered me, Mercury.”
	“You’ll catch something.”
	“I’ve been alive and healthy for over a millennium, why the _hell_ should
I care about catching a mere cold?” She spoke angrily, and the words stung.
	“You can’t mourn his death forever.”
	“I can and I will.”
	“Damn it, Mars, why do you have to be so _stubborn_ all the time?”
	A smile played across Mars’s features for an instant but was quickly
squelched.
	“Just leave me alone.”
	“No.”
	“If you don’t leave, I’ll make you!”
	“No you won’t.”
	“How do you know that?”
	“Because I know you. And I know that you’d never hurt me, just like I’d
never hurt you.”
	Mars softened. “Sorry. I’m just having a bad day... no, a bad decade.” She
sighed.
	“Tell me about it,” Mercury encouraged gently.
	“Th... there’s something I have to tell you. About Justin’s death. I... I
don’t think you’ll like it.”
	Mercury motioned for her to continue.
	“When I found out that Justin was dying, I was really upset about it,
y’know? I couldn’t stand to lose him, I loved him so much. I didn’t want to
go on without him, I didn’t think that I could. So I... I went to Serenity.
I begged her to use the Silver Empyrean Crystal to heal him and extend his
lifespan to match ours. When she refused, I told her... I told her that I’d
hate her forever. She was nothing but kind and loving to me, and I hated
her. Hated her for having Endymion while all of us were losing our
husbands. Hated her for looking so calm, just standing there and saying
that everything would be all right. I don’t know how I could have done that
to her.”
	Mars broke down and Mercury hugged her, consoling her.
	“I have something to tell you, too,” she admitted. “When Greg... passed
away, I thought my life was over, I couldn’t live without him. But Serenity
came and talked to me. We had an... interesting conversation. She told me
that things were meant to happen this way, that it was my-- _our_ destiny.
She said that everything would be all right, because... because I would
realize that I loved someone else, someone that was already very close to
me.” She said the words in a rush, hoping that Mars would understand what
she was trying to say.
	Mars pulled away and scrutinized her face. “You mean me, don’t you.”
	“You’re too smart for your own good,” Mercury replied fondly.
	“So she really was right. I... I never even realized that that was what
she meant. She told you straight out?”
	Mercury nodded. “I’ve known for a few years now.”
	“Why didn’t you tell me?”
	“I didn’t think you were ready to know. And... I didn’t know if you felt
the same way I did.”
	“I... I never thought about it before. I was so busy being lonely and
feeling sorry for myself that I didn’t consider having another
relationship. It just... never occurred to me.”
	“It was your destiny.”
	Mars smiled. “I know.”

_________________________________________________________________________
Author's note: Sorry I didn't put the lyrics to "A Dream Worth Keeping" at
the end, but I lost my tape of "Fern Gully." *sigh* If anyone knows them,
could you tell me? Arigato. ^_^

Ja ne,
AloshaSitaJasmine, the princess and senshi of Avalon
subramrs@slic.com
http://members.wbs.net/homepages/s/a/i/sailoravalon.html
"We are what we are." Elisa, "The Gathering"
"For all my life and forever; There's a truth I will always know. When my
world divides and shatters, your love is where I'll go." --from "The First
Time I Loved Forever," the theme of "Beauty and the Beast"
~~Priestess of Music in the High Church of Usagi~~
moonie code:
SM:5-m+ F:sTx+[+]> In+:vJa Ne D:En Be- O:d [-]s [-]o [-] p:a
:s52|110:eBrDz:hBrBkRD+:x-:r+| [+]