ZT: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Kuja: (Pops a bottle of sparkling cider) Yay! You're not getting booz.

ZT: Of course not; I'm still under aged…for three more months.

Kuja: Good for you, you're abiding by the law.

ZT: Well that and I can't stand the taste of alcohol.

Kuja: Yep that sounds more like you.

ZT:…Anyway, I have decided to start out this new year…with the conclusion to OSCAF. Well, I could go on and make a whole speech about how grateful I am to have such wonderful readers, but I know you guys are waiting for the story, so I won't keep you waiting. I don't own Sailor Moon or FF9. Enjoy!

Of Silver Crystals and Feathers

The last chapter

White. That's all she could see. Normally the color was soothing to her, but not now. She was confused about what exactly had happened…she felt fine a moment ago…But now she felt an almost overwhelming chill course throughout her, particularly about her head. Though her ears did pick up the faintest sounds of laughter, so she guessed she wasn't in any particular danger...Suddenly she realized who was laughing, and knew exactly what happened.

"Zidane Tribal!!" Dagger screamed, wiping snow off her face and taking off after the retreating genome. Months had passed since the group had returned to the Mist continent and now Alexandria was covered in powdery white snow as winter set in…something that a certain blond haired genome had been enjoying a little too much lately. She guessed she couldn't blame him though; he didn't have his partner in crime that he had gotten so used to in a few short months to get rid of his boredom…

The Alexandrian queen slowed her pace as the blond bandit/silver warrior came to mind. None of the heroes really did have a good grasp on the whole story, but as she thought about it, she highly doubted anyone would be able to take anymore bombshells dropped. The gods knew she was still trying to grasp at the fact that Zidane was royalty in a past life and according to…something, could still be considered the prince of the Sun if he wished to take up the title. And she thought the war with Kuja had been mind reeling!

The thought of the silver haired genome made Dagger frown slightly. They had found Kuja at the foot of the Iifa tree just as they watched Memoria implode. He looked a little weary, but no where near as bad as they thought he'd be, having fought Garland on his own before the wizard paid them a visit…she guessed Cosmos might have had something to do with that. The said genome decided to stay on the Outer Continent and help Mikoto with the other genomes as well as research a way to help the black mages extend their lifespans. It worked out for both sides; despite his changed ways, it would have been too much to ask of the people to accept Kuja after the atrocities he had committed, and the genome could start a new life on the Outer Continent without a whole world's hatred on his shoulders. Little did she know, she was not the only one reflecting on the past at that very moment…

Kuja let out a small sigh as his boots clacked against wooden planks. When he first started his ascent, it had been cool, but tolerable since he was at such a low elevation. Now, as he glanced at the frost covering some leaves at the much higher elevation, he was suddenly glad that he finally took Serenity's advice/pressure to put on some pants, of course he could have done with his layer of face makeup to keep some of the chill away… He made a quick survey of the area and nodded in approval; the genome had discovered that with all various types of power flowing through the roots of the Iifa tree, they had acquired some unique qualities which might be a valuable key in helping the black mages. Because of that, Kuja had decided to make the tree his home, and was in the process of making a palace among the branches. Of course it would be a while before his new home was complete, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that he would not be doing construction alone. The black mages were naturally very skeptical when Kuja offered to research a method to expand their lifespans; after all he had made the same pitch before to get them to work for him during the war. However, after realizing he was being sincere this time, the mages began to warm up to the genome, and even offered to help him with construction of his new home as well as give him temporary lodgings just like the other genomes…

He stopped as he got to some steps freshly carved into a branch of the Iifa tree and glanced down. Below, areas were being cleared and homes were popping up amongst the branches along with various bridges and other means to ease movement in the tree. Those homes were the beginnings of what was currently being called the new Bran Bal, although there was a unanimous vote to change the name in the near future, since each genome decided they wanted to start new instead of holding onto memories of Terra. At the thought of that meeting he had accidentally started some months back, Kuja found himself smiling. Shortly after Garland had been destroyed, all of the genomes started gaining personalities, much like the one he had come across in the village when meeting up with Steiner and Vivi. He soon realized that it was because of Garland's power, the power of Chaos, that the genomes were unable to attain souls. Since Cosmos was the polar opposite of Chaos, her presence tamed his power, which is why the genomes were uncomfortable with Serenity when she first appeared, yet gained personalities around her as well…

Kuja began his ascent up the stairs; from what he gathered Chaos and Cosmos battled with each other and Necron near Gaia when it was still forming. Because of that, the newly formed moons took in any extra power that was left from the battle, the red moon taking in Chaos's power and the blue moon taking in Cosmos's, which was the reason why Sailor Moon had difficulties; she could not draw power from such a dark entity as something influenced by Chaos. Of course, this was mainly speculation on his part; he never really had the chance to ask Serenity about it…he never really had the chance to ask her about much now that he thought about it. But it really didn't matter to him; if she was a princess he loved in a past life, a warrior, she could be a character in a story for all he knew or cared! All that was in the past now, and the only reason he acknowledged them was because they helped mold the woman he fell so deeply in love with…A sigh escaped his lips as he remembered back then; he was so close…so close to never being able to say those words to her. If she hadn't gone to him before chasing after Garland…he probably never would have…

Garland had come out of nowhere and destroyed the Kisenian Blossom before turning his wrath on his creation. It had taken all the power he had left in his Trance to make a barrier to keep the power of the wizard from destroying him, but it hadn't been enough to keep the attack from knocking him unconscious… Kuja stirred as a gentle voice called out his name. He knew that voice…but it couldn't be! Opening his eyes, the silver haired genome found he was staring into a pair of ethereal silver-blue eyes. His brain immediately processed that it was Cosmos he was looking at, and immediately the scout found herself thrown from the position of holding a person to being the person held. "Gods Serenity, how many times are you going to die in my presence!" he tried unsuccessfully to sound angry, wrapping his arms tightly around her smaller frame.

He heard her laugh softly, "Sorry about that…had to have a meeting with some deities that wanted to teach me how to defeat Garland for good…" Kuja pulled back in shock and the scout took that opportunity to stand. Her eyes immediately shifted to the direction where he had left the rest of the crew, where he later learned Garland had taken off to…

"What is it? How do we defeat him when he is in this form?" he asked. The soldier's back was now fully facing him, and as silence wore on, Kuja began to feel his gut filling with dread again. "Serenity…?" he asked carefully.

"I don't know." Her answer caught him off guard, and her explanation only caused him even more confusion, "I turned down their offer."

"Why?" he asked, unable to hide the incredulity in his voice.

He heard her sigh before continuing, "There's not enough time…if I had stayed, the cycle would have been repeated, and the plan would have failed anyway…"

"You cannot honestly be considering going to battle him then?! He will destroy you!"

"He can't." Kuja's eyes filled with curiosity at her simple statement. She continued, "Garland is Chaos, Kuja. He's the one I have battled with for so many millennia, and the one who shares my destiny. We must fight one another until the end of all existence, desperately attempting to destroy one another; yet never able to…Chaos and Cosmos cannot exist without each other…" She shook her head, "It's funny, but up until now, I never pitied the guy. I always thought his humanity was gone…But now I remember where I heard that name before…Chaos always used to mock me, by calling me by the name I had on Earth. I learned once that before he determined to stay Chaos all the time, he was called 'Garland'. I made a point to forget it though, refusing to stoop to his level. If he didn't though…then maybe Chaos and I aren't that different after all…maybe that's why, even though we were sworn enemies, we learned to tolerate each other. Even though they were always filled with sarcasm and followed by a battle meant to be to the death, we would always talk and, though I would never admit it at the time, I looked forward to them…Chaos was the only person who I was sure to see again. I guess I never realized though, that I was the only person he was sure to see again as well…"

The genome could hear many different emotions mixing together to get that tone in Cosmos's voice. It wasn't one that he particularly liked; he couldn't read it well and it almost sounded like resignation… "What do you plan to do then?"

She paused for a long time, "…I do not want to go through that again. I don't want to be a lone wanderer with an impossible purpose anymore…but I bear for another to have that life in my place…let alone have Chaos continue as he obviously plans…" She turned to face him, a sad smile on her face, "So the only way to stop this cycle forever is to kill Chaos…"

"But you just said neither side can win. Chaos cannot die so long as you~" Kuja stopped in midsentence, suddenly realizing what she meant to do, "Serenity, no!"

"There's no other choice. In order for Chaos to die, Cosmos will need to as well…" she tried, but it was obvious the genome was not about to take it that easily.

"Then revert back to sailor moon, or better yet, turn back into Serenity! I will kill Chaos and there will be no Cosmos around to keep the bastard alive through some…some…curse of Destiny!" he exclaimed.

"Even if it were that simple, you don't have the power to stop Chaos on your own..."

"I'll take that chance!" He grabbed her hands and pulled her close to him, "Serenity, I don't want to lose you. It…it hurts too much, and I don't have the strength to withstand that pain…" He looked deep into her eyes, "Please, let's find another way…I can't stand to lose the woman I love again…"

He finally managed to convince Serenity to let him help her, and they came up with a plan to trap Chaos in Memoria. Going in ahead of time, they went to a specific room, a room that resembled the Moon Kingdom. After letting Serenity know about his encounter with Panagiotis, the scout let him borrow her Luna Pen to adjust his appearance to that of Panagiotis's. Using his own knowledge and power to erase the Panagiotis in the memory scene, he then lay there in wait until she came in with Garland. The wizard never realized he was real until he his him with the most powerful Flare Star he could conjure up while still retaining enough power to teleport away once Cosmos let loose her final attack…

Kuja never expected the power of the Cosmic Rebirth to be that powerful. And his heart stopped when he saw Memoria implode…ending the era of Chaos and Cosmos in something he considered rather anti-climactic for two such powerful entities.

However, something about that time still bothered him. Something Serenity had said still nagged at him, and he was tired of trying to figure it out himself…he was sure Mikoto knew the answer, but she hated the subject and tended to avoid it, so the question stayed unanswered for months. But now it was eating him up inside, and someone was going to answer it…whether he lived through it or not.

Reaching the top of the stairs, he felt the cold air stick in his throat. He was near the top of the tree now, where a decent sized deck had been built. The branches surrounding it had been trimmed or removed so that no part of the continent or ocean was hidden from view…Whenever Kuja couldn't find her this was where she'd be. She was looking out over the ocean with her back to him, her blond hair falling loosely around her to add some warmth rather than tied up as she had gotten used to fashioning it with all the construction lately. A white coat that brushed the deck behind her was wrapped around her frame to keep the cold at bay, white fur trim at the wrists, bottom, and neckline adding to the protection from the elements. As Kuja took a step forward, the sound of his footsteps alerted the woman of his presence, but she didn't turn around. "It's not like you to make the venture up here on your own; usually you take the dragon."

"It's too cold up here for him," Kuja replied easily, having expected her reaction. "Plus I needed the time walking gave me…"

She glanced back at him, her eyes showing curiosity, "Oh?"

He took a deep breath, "Why?"

She turned fully to him this time, and he could see that the fur trim on the neckline and bottom of her coat was connected by a length that travelled right down the center. "'Why'?" her eyes sparkling with a little mischief, "Well I thought that the view was nice up here and decided to have a quick look since construction's been going slow since winter settled in and~ oh! That's not the right 'why' question, is it?"

Kuja smirked, "Well that was not the right question, but it was one I had, so thank you for answering it for me." He looked at her, his eyes softening, "Actually, I wanted to ask you something…about then." He saw her mischievous look fade; she knew what "then" meant. "What cycle would have been repeated?"

A sigh escaped the woman's lips, and Kuja knew that she was well aware of what cycle he was asking about. She was silent a moment, and turned her attention back to the ocean. After a few moments, the genome thought she was going to ignore him, but finally she spoke. "…The power of scouts of destiny, such as Cosmos, come at specific times…It cannot go to a scout who has been reincarnated a few times already; it has to go to a brand new one. There was only one Sailor Moon; before then the Moon royals were never allowed to and never had a reason to fight, so a scout was never needed. That is one of the reasons why Sailor Moon became Sailor Cosmos." She lifted her eyes towards the sky, "Gaia is young, and never had a threat which would need a scout specifically until Chaos came. Not only was a scout needed, but a scout of destiny who would have the power to stand up to Chaos. Had a scout awakened while Cosmos was away, that new soldier would have to take up the torch and continue the battle with Chaos."

"A new Sailor Cosmos would have been born?" Kuja clarified, although in disbelief. The blond nodded. "Did~?"

"We both knew," she replied, guessing his question, "Galaxia was the scout of destiny before Cosmos… we both not only knew a new Sailor Scout was being born, but we knew who it was." She turned towards him again, "Had a few more moments passed, Queen Garnet til Alexandros the 17th, would also have the title Sailor Gaia to add to her list…Neither of us could live with putting Dagger through that."

Kuja sighed, walking over to the railing of the deck next to where she stood, "I had a feeling you both could answer that question…"

She raised an eyebrow, "Then why did you come all the way up here? Asking Mikoto would have saved you a walk, she's down in the village."

"I know," he smiled, "But I was coming to get you as well." He wrapped an arm around Serenity's waist from behind, taking her left hand in own and bringing it to his lips. The cold metal surface of a simple gold band made him inwardly smile as the memory of going back to the dwarves to make them perform a correct wedding ceremony crossed his mind. They had given it much thought, and finally decided that since "His hooliness" was the only priest on the Outer Continent, he was the only one able to give them a proper blessing. That was the day Kuja made a point to put on pants and take off his make-up for good.

Serenity smiled, turning her head slightly to look at the man behind her, "Already being so protective? I may not have the Sailor Cosmos form anymore, but the strength and abilities are my own. I think I can handle a little walk and cold."

"True," he replied, tracing circles on her abdomen with his right index finger, "But our little friend has yet to earn such a reputation. My eyes watch her as well."

She blinked in surprise, "We haven't been told the gender yet."

"Wishful thinking," he replied, twirling his wife so that she faced him before catching her lips with his own.

Serenity welcomed the kiss and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. If anyone had told her the day she became Sailor Moon that this was how her Sailor Scout journey would end, thousands of years later after having battled the fiercest warriors the universe had to offer, being comatose for five millennia, with her helping build a new society for a group of creatures just beginning to form souls, married to a former evil villain who was currently researching a way how to make his creations live longer after they received personalities, just barely starting to show the signs of carrying former evil villain's child…let's just say she would have thrown away the broach and claimed "Sailor who?" for the rest of her life. But as she thought back to her journey to get to this place, right here, right now, she found herself deciding she wouldn't change any of it. As they broke their kiss, Serenity let her head rest against Kuja's shoulder and looked out west. The sun was just beginning to set, making the sky light up in various shades of pink, orange and red. It would be night soon, and Serenity found herself realizing that it was the first time in a long time, that she didn't know, and was looking forward to, what tomorrow would bring.

End

ZT: And so our story ends. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. Keep a look out; I don't think I'll be making a sequel to oscaf, but I have a few ideas rolling through my head for new stories, one of which is another Sailor Moon X-over. Ok so here's my final tally-ups and thank you's for this story:

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Thank you -ichigo14-, Chibi-Tenshi-Bunny, Cor-chan, Firehedgehog, Gatecrasher12, Lilaclight, Mage Raistlin, RadiataElf, Risse, Sage of Dorks, Satsubatsu Yue, SerenityMoon, Shi-no-aki, Shikyo-sama, Sue01, Taeniaea, Taiki, Teh Sad Panda, Tsuki no Echo, Usagi Uchiha Yuy Kudo, XxForbidden-MemoriesxX, YoukaiMassacre, inufan155687, plutomoon2, rezhighwind, setsuna-3000, unspoiled rini, vegetagurl, vynnessia, zenithtime for putting Oscaf as your favorite story

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And thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for reviewing all my reviewers! COOKIES, PIZZA, CANDY, AND DR. PEPPER FOR EVERYONE!!!

-ichigo14-, Insomniac Owl, CelticHero, a person writing a review, failedclown36 (*huggles gen* ^^), Firehedgehog, cherryblossoms1987, Taiki, Raine of The Darkness Clan, Taeniaea, setsuna-3000, Black Lady of Emptyness, blusport4378 (still waiting for that ff9xsm fic ;D), Sue01, zodiac1231, moon fan, Oirasse (ISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIII *huggles* I finished the story, what do I get? Kuja: *backs away slowly*), giggles, SerenityMoon, J., RadiataElf, Destined DeathReaper, Tsuki no Echo, Teh Sad Panda, Lady alpha wolf, Usagi Uchiha Yuy Kudo, Reiko x 3 (If you ever need help keeping Kuja and Dark under wraps, let me know, I have Dr. Pepper to spare thanks to Oirasse :D), sunao, Lady Cinnibar, Hannah, BlueRedemption, Littel Chaos, inufan155687, Lilaclight, Failisse

And as always.... Love it? Hate it? Review it! Till next time!