Please Read

So, I've had this ready for a while and couldn't upload it because of problems with the site so I apologize.

Yes, it's been a while. And I apologize to my faithful readers. And I know I have lost some along the way. But I got very discouraged after my last chapter. I got very few reviews and the few I did get were not so good. I was told many times that the "test thing" came out of nowhere and seemed like it was just a "quick fix" type deal. Well, I'm here to say that it wasn't. The test (as Pluto called it) was something I had planned from the beginning. And it's something that people go through at some point in their life. We all lose friends. That's a fact of life. And we all go through some sort of "test" that makes us who we are in the long run.

The test that Usagi went through is a little more intense because she has youma and magical powers involved in her test. This wasn't a test that Pluto had planned and that Usagi had to pass. It just naturally happened and since it happened, Usagi grew and changed. She had to go through it to become who she needed to be.

Also, one reviewer asked why Crystal Tokyo couldn't happen without Mamoru. Well, here's my answer. In the Crystal Tokyo the senshi saw in Sailor Moon R there was a king and queen. That was the future they saw. It has now been changed. So, the Crystal Tokyo that they saw wasn't going to happen. And no, every queen does not need a consort, Queen Serenity didn't have one. She ruled by herself. So, why can't Usagi?

Okay, another note. Please, please, please review. I love seeing that y'all favorited the story but I live off reviews. In fact, I wouldn't have written this chapter if it hadn't been for PSVT and the wonderful review I received. The review really encouraged me and reminded me that while everyone may not review, there are people out there that do care what happens in this story. So, this chapter is dedicated not only to PSVT but also to the wonderful readers I have that have stuck with me through this. Thank you!

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Never have. Never will.

Last but definetly not least: Drum roll, please…A huge big thanks to Laura! I love you so very much!

…..

"Ne, Luna?"

The black cat in question looked up from her water bowl and gave a questioning glance to her charge. "Hai?"

Usagi was standing in front of her in jeans and a bra. "What shirt do you think I should wear?"

Luna blinked then quickly looked away. "Usagi, put on a shirt!"

The silver-haired young woman pouted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "But that's what I can't decide on! I can't put on a shirt if I don't know which one to wear!"

Luna gave a sigh of irritation and just shook her head, her eyes still averted. "Any shirt is fine, Usagi. You're just going out with the girls. It's not like they care what you are wearing."

Silence was the only response.

The cat finally looked back at her charge and started at the sly look that had covered the face of the fighter of justice.

"N-nani?" Luna stuttered, knowing Usagi was about to do something that a nice wholesome girl wouldn't dream of doing.

"Ne, Luna," Usagi said, the sly look still on her face. "Why are you so embarrassed? It isn't like you haven't seen me in this before?"

Luna blinked and slowly backed up. Something was about to happen. She could feel it. Call it her "cat senses". And they were so tingling.

"What are you thinking, Usagi?"

All Usagi did was grin and step towards her.

"Usagi…"

And that's when Usagi struck. She lunged toward the cat and scooped her up in her arms, pressing her to her almost naked chest.

"USAGIII!"

A next-door neighbor looked up from his book after hearing the scream but then shrugged and went back to reading when nothing else was heard.

…

"Mou, Luna. I can't believe you scratched me so bad."

Luna huffed and ran a paw over her ears, trying to calm herself down. "What else did you expect me to do? You had me pressed up against you. It was awkward!"

Usagi looked up from examining the scratch that was sluggishly bleeding on her chest to grin at the cat. "I know, that's why I did it." She giggled and grabbed a tissue to softly dab the blood off.

Luna let a smile cover her face at the sound of Usagi's giggle. But then she frowned again. "But really, Usagi. What were you thinking?"

The grin on the silver-haired woman's face grew. "You are so funny when you are uncomfortable."

"Nani?" Luna said indignantly. "That's why you did that?"

"Why else would I? You're like a sister to me, Luna. And sisters tease each other, ne? Just think of that as a really big prank."

Luna just blinked at the girl.

"Now, what shirt should I wear?"

Luna followed Usagi back to her room, the cat's mind still running through what Usagi had said. But she didn't want to dwell on it. There were other things that needed her attention.

"Usagi?"

Usagi looked over her shoulder at the cat as she rummaged through her closet. "Hai?"

"How are you feeling about this sleep-over?"

That made the young woman pause in her rummaging. She sighed and slowly lowered herself to the floor, sitting cross-legged in front of her closet. "I'm nervous."

Luna nodded and climbed onto Usagi's lap, purring as the young woman started petting her. "Why?"

"You know I'm still having nightmares, Luna. And there's always the occasional youma that decides to ruin my night. What if one of those things happens tonight?"

Luna's red eyes met the dark blue ones above her. "They are your senshi, Usa. They will help you through."

Usagi looked away from Luna's gaze and bit her lower lip.

"You still don't trust them, do you?" the cat asked softly.

Usagi sighed and slowly shook her head. "Not fully."

"It makes sense," Luna said. "They hurt you. You closed yourself off from them to avoid being hurt even more. But you've got to open up again, Usagi. They're here."

"But for how long?" was the soft, almost inaudible question.

"They've only officially been back for a week, you know," Luna said, putting her paw on her charge's hand. "After they all got everything settled, they moved back here in no time, just to be back with you."

Usagi closed her eyes and slowly nodded.

"And don't you dare feel guilty." Luna said sternly.

Dark blue eyes opened in surprise.

"I know what you're thinking. You hate that they dropped everything to come back here; to come back to you."

The blue gaze avoiding hers answered that question better than any words could.

Luna sighed. "Usagi, they did that of their own free will. They wanted to come back."

"But it was for me! They gave up so much-"

"And they will continue to give up so much," Luna interrupted. "They do that willingly. Can't you see that? They love you! They love you so much that they will do whatever it takes to be there for you!"

"But I hate that!" Usagi shouted.

"Nani?"

"I hate it when they're gone and I hate it when they sacrifice their own lives to be with me! I don't know what I want anymore, Luna! This is driving me crazy! Why can't I just be happy that they are here? But I'm forever worrying about them leaving me again or upset that they gave up their lives for me!"

The only thing heard for a few seconds was Usagi's harsh breathing as she struggled to hold back her tears.

"Usagi," Luna said softly, to get her princess's attention.

Watery eyes looked at her and Luna gave a soft smile. "That's just the way you are, Hime. And that is why they will continue to make sacrifices for you."

Eyes widened and Luna was pulled into Usagi's almost naked chest again. However, there were no screams this time.

…

"Iie! I don't want to!"

Laughter echoed through the Crown, making other customers smile at the joyous sound that came from the booth in the corner. Five young women were sitting there, laughing and having a good time with each other as they finished their meals.

"Come on, Minako!" Rei said with a grin. "Just try it!"

The blonde shook her head; her blue eyes closed as tightly as her mouth against the fork that was trying to invade her space.

"But it's good!" Rei laughed.

"No, it's not, Minako-chan!" Usagi argued from beside the blonde. "Don't let her fool you! It's got coconut, banana, AND fish in it! It's disgusting!"

Blue eyes widened at the mention of fish and a slightly green tint colored Minako's face. "Fish?" she muttered through her closed lips. "Why would they do that? Why put fish in a dessert?"

Ami giggled into her hand and Makoto chuckled and shook her head.

Rei raised an eyebrow at Usagi. "Fish, Usagi? Where the hell did you get fish?"

Usagi just shrugged and let a grin cover her face. "Ne, Minako-chan, I'll eat it for you."

Minako glanced over at her friend with surprise.

"I'll taste it for you so you won't have to!" Usagi thrust a fist in the air and nodded to Rei. "Okay, Rei-chan. Bring it on!"

Rei just shrugged and pushed the fork at Usagi, who opened her mouth wide and accepted the bite. The other girls watched in awe, amusement, and barely concealed laughter as their leader chewed the bite.

Suddenly Usagi clutched her throat and started gagging. Minako gasped and grabbed her friend, while Rei rolled her eyes, and Ami and Makoto started laughing.

"Minako, help me!"

The blonde pulled Usagi to her. "Usagi? What's wrong?"

"It…it…was…"

"Was what? Was what?"

"Wonderful!"

Minako's eyes widened and she let go of Usagi, who was laughing along with the others.

"Nani?"

"You just got duped, Minako-chan!" Makoto said through her laughter.

Blue eyes just blinked. She glanced over at Usagi, who was happily chewing the piece she had been given. Realization dawned.

"Hey!" Minako exclaimed. "I want to try it now!"

Rei shook her head with a grin. "Nope, that was the last piece. I offered it to you and you refused it."

"NANI!" She looked back at Usagi, who just grinned at her as she swallowed the piece of cake Rei had just offered her.

Minako narrowed her eyes at the silver-haired woman. "You tricked me!"

Usagi shrugged. "I wanted another piece."

"You lied to me!"

"All's fair in love and cake!"

"You conniving, deceitful, lying…"

"Don't finish that sentence, Minako," Rei said, shaking her finger at the blonde. "You shouldn't say such things about our princess."

Usagi looked smug.

"Even if they are true," Rei finished with a smirk.

It was Minako's turn to laugh at the look of shock on Usagi's face. The other's quickly followed, even Usagi, and soon they had moved on to other topics, leaving the cake and missed opportunity behind.

Motoki watched all of this from behind the counter, his eyes focusing on one of the women more often. She looked so much happier. He smiled as they burst out laughing again but the smile fell from his face at one thought.

I hope they stay. And I hope she stays this happy for the rest of her life.

He knew that last wish was unrealistic. But there was no harm in hoping.

…

They were at the jinja now. It was close to 10 p.m. and they were all pretty tired. Ami had just recently started her residency at a pretty big hospital in Tokyo, Rei and the jinja were usually pretty swamped with visitors and since Grandpa had retired the responsibility fell on her, Makoto was working on opening her own restaurant, and Minako had been meeting with producers all week about a new movie they were filming in Tokyo that they wanted her in.

"We are getting old, minna," Usagi muttered as they all went through their bags to pull out their pajamas.

Tired chuckles filled the room as the others agreed.

Usagi blinked as she lifted her shirt over her head and reached for her sleep shirt. But a loud gasp stopped her mid-reach.

"Usagi-chan? What happened?" Ami asked, her eyes wide as she stared at her friend.

Usagi raised her eyebrows and looked down at where Ami's gaze had landed. She started laughing. "Oh, Luna scratched me this afternoon. It was my fault though. It's okay. Nothing big."

Ami shook her head. "I didn't mean that."

Confusion filled Usagi's gaze until she looked past the recent scratch and at the scars that covered her torso. "Oh," she muttered.

There were so many of them. She had slowly started to "collect" them right after her senshi left and they just kept adding up. One particularly bad one went from her left shoulder to her right hip, angling right between her breasts. A hundred other ones littered her body. She was thankful she still had on her jeans. At least the scars on her legs weren't visible yet.

"They're from youma, aren't they?" Rei asked softly, guilt filling her eyes.

The others looked away from Usagi in shame. Usagi just swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in her throat.

Minako suddenly walked over to Usagi and went behind her, studying her back as well.

"There are more here," she whispered.

Tears fell down Ami and Minako's faces. Makoto clenched her fist and Rei bit her lip. And Usagi just stared at the floor, not sure what to say or do.

Suddenly, a warm touch startled her out of her thoughts. Rei was in front of her and was softly tracing a raised scar on the left side of her abdomen. "What is this one from?" the Senshi of Mars asked in a broken voice.

"A youma's sword five months ago," was the raspy whisper that came from the princess's throat.

Another hand landed on her and Usagi looked behind her at Minako, who was tracing a burn on the back of her right shoulder. "And this one?"

"A youma's flame breath 3 months ago."

Makoto lightly touched her upper left arm and the three horizontal scars that adorned it. "These?"

Usagi bit her lower lip. "Youma claws one month ago."

Ami very gently traced the long scar from her left shoulder to right hip. "And this one, Usagi. What is this one from?"

Tears fell from Usagi's eyes and a soft sob escaped from her throat before she got out, "Youma's claw, one year ago."

"Kami-sama," Minako whispered, coming around to stand in front of her friend. She eyed the biggest scar with tears swimming in her eyes. "How could we?"

"Iie," Usagi whispered. "It wasn't you."

Rei looked up into Usagi's eyes and pulled her into her arms. "It may as well have been us, Usagi-chan. We left you here to fight them on your own."

"Demo-"

"Iie, Usagi," Minako whispered, putting her arms around her princess as well. "Iie."

Makoto and Ami embraced the crying silver-haired woman and the five of them cried in each other's arms, letting out feelings of guilt, loneliness, and helplessness. But when they were finished, they all felt as if a weight had been lifted off every single shoulder in that room.

…

They had finally all gone to sleep. Sleeping bags adorned the floor of Rei's room. Rei was in her bed, with the other four spread out on the floor all sleeping soundly.

But one form started tossing around in her sleeping bag and muttering softly to herself. Harsh breathing filled the air and the words slowly became a little more audible.

Violet eyes opened when a particularly loud "Iie" sounded out. Rei sat up in bed and looked to the floor, trying to figure out where the noise came from.

More tossing and turning and a few more muttered words directed her gaze to the silver-haired head poking out of one bag.

"Usagi," she whispered as she slowly slipped out of bed.

She didn't get far.

A loud, pain-filled scream broke through the air, waking the rest of the girls in the room and echoing through the night air, making birds startle awake as well.

Rei gave up trying to be silent and rushed to Usagi's side. Her princess was now sitting up, tears rolling down her face and eyes wide and full of fear, sorrow, and despair. There was also a glazed look in those eyes that told Rei that Usagi was still in the grips of whatever nightmare caused her such pain.

Usagi was only aware of one thing. All of her senshi were dead. They were at her feet, dead. They had left her all alone. And there was nothing she could do to fix it. Her heart hurt, not only from the pain of losing her closet friends but also from the physical pain that wracked her body.

Chaos laughed. "Finally, time has come to become one again! The galaxy's most powerful light, Sailor Moon. Give me your power. My long wish, my wish to rule space is finally going to come true."*

Usagi sobbed but in her mind she knew this was a dream. A dream of a memory. And this is usually where she woke up. But for some reason…it kept going this time.

"I can't fight anymore," she heard herself telling Galaxia. "Everybody is gone. I wasn't always fighting for peace and justice, I was fighting for my friends and loved ones. Everything is gone. I have nothing important to me left. What is there to fight for?"*

"Iie, Sailor Moon."

Usagi turned and watched as Chibi Chibi turned in Sailor Cosmos. "There is always something to fight for. And you have so much to fight for. Don't give up hope." The beautiful senshi leaned close to Sailor Moon and put a hand to her face. "I did and I became what I didn't want to become. You don't have to."

Usagi blinked. This wasn't a memory. This never happened.

Cosmos smiled. "You have made it through, Serenity. You have come through the battle even stronger than before."

Around them, the scene of the final battle faded and they were left standing in empty whiteness.

"Cosmos…"

The senshi's cold smile started showing some warmth. She ran a hand over Usagi's blonde pigtail.

Wait, blonde?

"You are stronger than I ever was, Usagi. I don't know what it is that you have that I don't but you are so much stronger for it. And that is what saved you from becoming like me."

"But I almost became you. I almost-"

"Exactly. Almost. But not quite."

The senshi closed her eyes and her smile grew. "You are still Sailor Cosmos but Serenity and Usagi are very much alive in you. That is more than I can ever say about me." She opened her eyes. "Live well, Princess. Live life to the fullest and live well."

Sailor Cosmos placed a soft, feather-light kiss on Usagi's lips and slowly faded into nothingness. "Good luck, Princess. And good-bye."

Usagi woke up with a gasp and blinked at seeing her friends gathered around her, their worried expressions telling her that she woke them up rather abruptly with the horrifying part of her dream.

"Usagi?" Ami asked softly.

Usagi blinked and looked at each of her friends, taking in their features and expressions. The last one she settled on was Minako, who was studying her intently.

"Um, Usagi," Minako licked her lips, as if unsure of how to say something.

Usagi raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Nani?"

"Um, this may be inappropriate considered you just woke up from a nightmare but," she paused and took a deep breath. "What happened to your hair?"

"Eh?" Usagi asked she brought a handful of hair over her shoulder and to her face. In front of her was not silver hair anymore but it wasn't back to it's original blonde. Instead it was a perfect mix of blonde and silver.

"And when did you do it?" Minako continued.

Usagi just gave a soft smile and shrugged. "It just represents who I am, Minako-chan. That's all."

At their blank looks, Usagi quickly launched into an explanation. She unloaded the burden of the nightmares that had been plaguing her for the past year. And her senshi listened. And they were there for support, physically and emotionally.

It wasn't until the clock hit 2 a.m. when Usagi felt the tingle. And she fell silent.

"Usagi?" Makoto asked, worried about the blank look on the princess's face.

Usagi blinked and slowly stood up. "Gomen, minna. But I have to go."

"Is it a youma?" Rei asked, standing up as well.

Usagi only nodded.

Minako stood up, quickly followed by Makoto and Ami. "Then we're going, too."

Everyone nodded while Usagi looked at them. She seemed hesitant and worried until Minako took her hand and looked into her dark blue eyes.

"Usagi, we're here to help you. To support you. Let us. Let us be here for you. Please."

Usagi studied the woman who could have been her twin back when they were teenagers and was as close to a sister to her. She then looked at the other three women, who were all smiling and nodding their heads.

With a nod and a big grin, Usagi welcomed her friends back, into her life and her heart.

Then End

*Taken directly from the translated manga of Sailor Moon StarS Volume 3

Well, there it is. The final chapter. Please tell me what you think. Please review. Please. I could possibly write a companion piece to this but I have to be inspired. And inspiration runs free when the reviews come in. So, just think about it.

Again, thank you to all my faithful readers. Y'all rock!