No notes to start this one off.  I'm just going to say that this 
will be special. 
-------------------------------------------------

   Knight Productions present....

   A special Mother's Day/Graduation (see the notes) 
Destiny's Path Universe story.....

   Pomp and Circumstances
-------------------------------------------------

  THE PAST....

   <The gardens are always so peaceful at this time of year> Queen
Serenity thought as she gazed across the Royal Gardens of the Moon
Kingdom.  Above the gardens, one could see the massive, but delicate
starsailers that transversed the planets of the Silver Milennium, via
the teleportation jump points.  

   Queen Serenity looked up as a jump point flared into existence and 
disgorged a ship.  Looking closer, Serenity could see the flag of the 
Earth Kingdom on the side of the ship.  <Hmm...Endymion has arrived, 
with good news, I pray.>  She smiled.  <At least I can tell my daughter 
that her beloved has arrived safely.>  Queen Serenity made her way out 
into the gardens, where her daughter, Princess Serenity, was picking 
flowers.

   When Serenity was a few feet away, the princess noticed her, and her
face lit up.  "Hello Mother! Isn't it just a perfect day!"

   Queen Serenity had to fight to keep a straight face. "Yes, it is
Serenity, and here is something to make that day more perfect.  A ship
just arrived.....from the Earth Kingdom."

   Princess Serenity's eyes went wide, and a hand shot up to her mouth. 
"Then this....this means...."

   "Yes, Prince Endymion will probally be on that ship." Queen Serenity
said, her face finally breaking into a smile.  "In fact, it should be
landing now, so you might want to be there.  You know, to represent the
Moon Kingdom and welcome our representives from Earth." she added with
a wink to her daughter.

   Princess Serenity smiled at the wordplay from her mother. "Of 
course, but you will be there as well, right? The other ambassadors-and
Endy-chan...I mean, Prince Endymion-might want to meet with you as
well."

   Queen Serenity smiled.  "Of course.  Tell the Earth party that I 
will be along in a few minutes.  After all, you have not seen Endymion 
in some time.  You can have those few moments before I arrive."

   Princess Serenity jumped up and hugged her mother. "Thank you, 
Mother. I'll go and do that." She turned to go, then turned around.  
"Oh, I almost forgot.  These are for you."

   Her daughter handed Serenity a bouquet of flowers. "Happy Mother's
Day." Princess Serenity said.

   Queen Serenity's eyes shone with tears.  "Thank you, my daughter
Serenity."  Queen hugged Princess, then the younger Serenity rushed off
to meet the Earth ship...and her beloved, Prince Endymion.

   Queen Serenity looked at the flowers in her hands, and then looked 
up into the sky.  <Yes, it has turned out to be a perfect day.>

***************

   The Moon Kingdom was in flames.

   Queen Serenity lay against a broken pillar in the remains of the
gardens, having just sent her daughter and as many of the population as
she could to the future and now, she lay dying. Gasping for air, she
gave her final instructions to her two advisors, Luna and Artemis.

   "Please watch over my daughter.  Help her grow into the Queen she is
destined to be.  I can guide her from time to time, but you have to
watch over her.  Please...."

   The two Moon Cats nodded their asessment, and Queen Serenity sent 
them to the future.  Soon, Serenity could see a figure approach.  
Taking a closer look, she could see that the woman was dressed in a 
blue kimino, had hair colored a deeper blue, and appeared to be riding 
a oar.  

   Serenity smirked.  "I always thought you would have a scythe..."

   The woman laughed.  "Nope, that's Grim's look. He's over at Mars 
right now.  Thanks to Metallia, we're kinda swamped."  The woman 
sobered up. "It's time, your Majesty."

   "I know.  I will be able to watch over my daughter, right?"

   The woman nodded.  "It is so written, and it must come to pass, or 
the future will not be."

   Serenity blinked.  "Are you, in any way, related to Pluto?"

   "Fifth cousin, twice removed."

   "Ah."

   Serenity took the woman's hand, and Queen Serenity, ruler of the 
late Moon Kingdom, passed on to her well deserved (and ocassionally
interruppted) eternal rest.

   The Silver Crystal, without a member of the house of Serenity to 
guide it, split into seven rainbow crystals and sped off to Earth.

  THE NEAR PRESENT....

   "Erica Louise Carter."

   A woman with red hair (and future cadet in the young Earth Defense
Force) stepped up to the podium to accept her diploma.  As she did so,
a section of the stadium burst into cheers.  Erica Carter looked up to
the section, where her mother was leading the rest of her family in
cheering for their daughter in graduating from high school.

   <Thank you, Mom> Erica thought.

  THE PRESENT....

   A woman with odangoes sat in her room, trying to adjust her robe so 
it would fit right.  There was a knock on the door.

   "Come in!" Usagi Tuskino called, and resumed her vain struggle.

   Ikuko Tuskino walked into her daughter's room and just stood there 
for a second, watching her only daughter's attempts to get her 
graduation robes to fit. <Kami-sama, how we have waited for this day!  
Usagi actually managed to gradauate!>  

   Seeing her mother standing there, Usagi looked at her with a 
pleading expression.  "Mom, can you help me with this? The zipper seems 
to be stuck."

   Ikuko went over to Usagi's bed and looked at the stubborn zipper. 
"Usagi....the zipper is caught on the fabric of the robe.  That's why
it won't close." she said, leveling a look at her daughter.

   Usagi, for her part, managed to look sheepish. "Uhh...ooooppps.  I
can't imagine how that happened." she said, with a sweatdrop appearing
on her.

   Ikuko sighed and started to undo the zipper, when Usagi stopped her 
for a second.  "Just a sec, Mom." she said, and reached behind her for 
a package.  "This is for you."

   Ikuko took the package and unwrapped it, and found it to be a 
beautiful crystal rose statue.  Near the base of the statue, was a 
small crescent moon.

   Ikuko looked up at Usagi, who simply said, "Happy Mother's Day, 
Mom."

   The emotional moment that followed will not be described here, for 
the reason that the sheer emotions involved would probally knock almost
anyone else out.  Trust me, it was a true WAFF moment.

******************

   "Usagi Tuskino."

   As Usagi went on the stage to accept her diploma, someone muttered 
"The world is ending now."  

   Said person was promptly bapped on the head by the following: One 
martial artist (and his fiancee, who was using a rather large hammer), 
one oknomayki chef (with a absurdly large spatula), one seemingly 
normal boy, two women with spiked hair, one woman with purple hair tied 
back into two tails, five Senshi (one Inner, four Outers, all in human 
form), one black haired man wearing a dark green jacket, four Iczelions 
(in human form), four Iczels (very quickly before teleporting out 
again), two parents, one little brother (and his date Mika), five EDF 
soldiers, one pink haired girl, someone dressed in yellow and blue 
spandex (and carrying a sword) and three goddesses (and their brother).

   One thing was immediately sure: Gendou Rokubungi would have one heck 
of a headache later. 

   Blissfully unaware of all of this, Usagi Tuskino accepted her 
diploma, and thus, graduated from Juban High School. Destiny was on 
it's way.

  THE NEAR FUTURE....

   Auska Langley Soryu rolled over in her sleep. 

   "Mama......"

  THE FAR FUTURE....

   Neo-Queen Serenity laid a flower arrangement on the lunar surface 
beside the gravestone marking her mother's resting place.  Nearby, her 
daughter Chibi-Usa, also known as Celestial Sailor Moon now, stood with 
her father King Endymion.  

   "Happy Mother's Day, mama." Neo-Queen Serenity whispered to the
marker.

*****************

   Over on the planet Earth, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean 
from Crystal Tokyo, two mecha landed in a area that, long ago, had been 
a bustling city.  

   Gravestones now lined the ground, put there during the Reconstuction 
to remember those who died there.

   The pilots of those two mecha walked along the rows of markers until
they found the one they were looking for. The red haired pilot looked
at the gravestone:

   "Louise Carter: 1965-1992"

   The red haired pilot put a flower on the gravestone.

   "Happy Mother's Day, Mom."  Major Erica Carter, of the new Terran
Federation Armed Forces, said.

   Her soulmate (and wife), Major Julia Martins, laid her hand on 
Erica's shoulder, and joined her lover in a moment of silence.  Then 
she looked at her watch.

   "Erica, we have to go.  The ceremony is in a few hours."

   Erica rose, and placing a kiss on the gravestone, and another one 
near it, the two pilots raced to their waiting Excalibur mecha.

*************************

   Heading back over the Pacific, Erica could have sworn she had seen a
humpback whale surface with a young girl nearby, out in the open water. 
She blinked and attributed it to the long flight.

*************************

   Shinji Ikari kneeled my a gravestone.

   "Thank you, mother."

   Shinji's wife clasped her husband's shoulder.  "Dear, we have to go, 
the ceremony is in a hour."

   "I know.  Just let me have one more minute.  Okay?"

   "Okay, love."

   The two persons, both veterans of a long and brutal war, knelt in 
prayer and rememberance by the gravestone.  

*****************************

   The auditorium was packed, and not just with waiting parents and
friends.  Lots of royalty, both on world and off, were in the audience
tonight, for an event celebrated the world over.

   Graduation.  In particular, graduation from Crystal Tokyo 
University.

   "Sasami Masaki."

   A woman with blue hair tied up in pigtails strolled up to the podium 
to receive her diploma, pausing to wave at her parents and step-sister.

   "Natsumi Kai."

   A woman with short brown hair recieved her diploma, and waved at her
parents.

   "Yui Ikari."

   A woman with long brown hair strolled up to the podium and paused 
long enough to flash a victory sign at her parents.

   "Alex Christoph."

   A man with short red hair went up to the podium, got his diploma, 
bowed, and then turned around and jumped off the stage, all the while 
flashing a "V" sign at his parents.

   "Nicole Marie Carter, class president."

   A woman, with blonde hair and brown eyes, strode up to the podium to
receive her diploma, looking at her parents, who were sitting with
Neo-Queen Serenity and the rest of her Court.

   <Arigato, mamas> she thought.

-------------------------------------------------
End of Pomp and Circumstances
-------------------------------------------------

      Author's Notes:

   Whew!  It's done.  My second "one shot, all done" fanfic. Meaning no
"part N" or whatever (started at 9:30 Friday night and finished at 
12:30 AM on the same night).

   Okay, who caught the Yu Yu Hakusho reference?

   For those who did, and feel they're up to a bigger challenge, I put 
a reference to another series, outside of anime, in the story.  Hint:
Only those from the Land Down Under will probally get this one.

   Ahh, Gendou bashing.  How I love to do it. <grin>  Yes, I put 
Flashman in there.  I hope he doesn't mind, since the scene was about 
Usagi, his favorite, as I can recall.

   Okay, now for the big question: Why the heck was this story done? 
Two reasons: 

1) I wanted to do something special for the spring 
graduates of my senior class (not that they'll ever see this) 

2) Graduation just happens to fall on Mother's Day.

   Thus, this story was born.

   Sharp-eyes readers will be able to catch a hint of how Destiny's 
Path will end, though I'm keeping the actual parentage of some of the
children secret until such time.

   Yes, you read it right, that wasn't a typo: Nicole's parents are 
Erica Carter and Julia Martins.  How?  Two words: Instant Nannichuan.

   I *told* you Sasami was going to be back.  Now get the Chicken 
Cannons off my back.  :-)

   I guess that's it.  All series cited in this story are copyright 
their original owners, companies, and NA distributors.  I'm not doing 
this for profit, only for fun. I'm also a college student, so suing me
would be next to worthless.

   Dedication:  The Spring Graduates of the Class of 1998 of Gannon
University and all graduates out there: May your wings carry you to
wherever you plan to go in life.

   To all mothers out there:  Thank you, for everything.

   To my own mother: Karen Yaple: for raising me and my sisters all 
these years, and putting up with our <cough, cough> little intricacies 
over the years.  

   I think Chibi-Usa said it best, in the closing moments of
the last Sailor Moon R episode:

   "Arigato, Momma."

Brian Yaple
Knight Productions
BYapes@erie.net
Yaple001@mail1.gannon.edu
BYapes@aol.com
Web Page: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/8768
MoonieCode (0.8.1) 
SM:5+[m-] F:SInSa O:d S+?o P:a22 S|+:eBrDg:hBrD:y--:r+|+
__________________________________________________________
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Mekton Zeta-Babylon 5-Macross-Grapejam-The Spot-BGCrisis-
Evangelion-Iczer-Iczelion-Buffy-Ranma 1/2-Sailor Moon-Tenchi Muyo!
__________________________________________________________
"No box is big enough to contain our imaginations."
Tara Hartwick (RIP)-The Spot (www.thespot.com)-June 6th, 1995

"Tuski ni kawatte, oshioki yo!": Sailor Moon

"Call me Iczelion!": Nagisa Kai-Iczelion