Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Chapter 33: Finale

-Luna-

Luna skirted along the edge of the ballroom, doing her best to avoid the myriad of corpses littering the ground. Many of the lights had gone out, casting eerie shadows on the devastation. Setsuna had said that the Princess and her guards were still here and she found herself praying that the woman was right. Ahead of her, a set of curtains was blown back as something exploded outside. A moment later, she heard a chillingly familiar voice scream.

She ran toward the sound of Serenity's voice, but stopped just outside the curtain. Artemis was approaching from the other direction and she waited until he skidded to a halt in front of her. "Did you find them?" he asked, breathing hard.

She nodded and wordlessly gestured to the curtain. Quietly, they shifted the heavy curtain aside and looked out. Luna gasped softly. The majority of the balcony had been destroyed, leaving little more than a charred, crumbling platform that dropped off into the hellish fires in the courtyard. Three girls were lying amid the rubble.

Luna started in, but Artemis put a paw in front of her. "Wait." She looked at him angrily, but he simply gestured for her to watch.

Serenity was the first to sit up, brushing futilely at the dust on her ruined dress. She looked around, dazed, then her gaze fell on the other two. Coughing on the thick smoke, she crawled toward the still, dark figure. "Rei?" She tentatively touched an armored shoulder, then scooted closer. "Rei, can you hear me?"

Luna glanced sadly at Artemis. They were too late. It was time to report back to the Queen. A gasping breath caught their attention and they watched as Serenity pulled the Martian into her lap.

"Rei, why did you do that?" Serenity asked quietly, tears leaving streaking trails through the soot and dust on her cheeks. Rei coughed and Luna cringed when she saw the trickle of blood sliding from the corner of her lips to stain the Princess's white dress.

"It's my duty to protect you, Princess," she replied in a choked whisper.

Serenity let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. "You know you're always too serious." The Martian smiled back but it quickly became a grimace of pain.

"We should help them," Artemis whispered, watching the exchange.

Luna rubbed her face against his neck soothingly. "There's nothing we can do now. Setsuna was right, we failed a long time ago." Artemis sighed but said nothing.

"You know," Serenity continued, "I've always wondered what these are for." She ran her fingers along the three braids that hung at the Martian's temple.

"They're for my heart," Rei responded softly. She took another shaky breath and coughed again, spraying blood. Serenity pulled a white handkerchief from her dress and gently wiped it away.

"Rei?" They looked over to see Minako struggling to her hands and knees. She gasped and stumbled forward to the Martian's side. "Rei," she sobbed, cuddling close to her other side and stroking her face. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Rei rasped out, staring up at the Venusian. She raised a shaky hand to her cheek. "You know I would rather…" her voice trailed off as she took a gasping breath. "…for someone I love…" Her body shuddered, then was still.

Minako buried her face against the black armored chest, hugging her as she sobbed. Serenity didn't move, just continued stroking the raven hair and staring off into the distance.

Luna blinked back tears and looked again at Artemis. "This is our fault," she said softly. He looked away, focusing on the grieving girls. "They trusted us and we were supposed to guide them."

"Their love for each other made them stronger," Artemis agreed sadly. "I wish we'd seen it before it was too late."

When they looked back, Minako was sitting up again and determinedly tugging at the straps of Rei's gauntlet. "What are you doing, Minako?" Serenity asked softly, reaching toward her.

"Don't touch me," Minako said coldly, stopping the other girl. She managed to remove the piece of armor, then yanked her own gauntlet off and threw it over the balcony. Carefully, she fastened the black one onto her wrist and sat back. Wordlessly, she lifted Rei's hand and held it to her cheek. Luna noticed a faded yellow cloth tied around the Martian's pale wrist.

Finally, Minako stood and stepped back. Serenity began to stand as well. "Don't." The Princess stared up at her in confusion. "Stay away from me. This whole kingdom can fall; the whole Empire. I don't care anymore."

Luna and Artemis hastily backed away as Minako strode through the curtain. She didn't notice them, simply knelt to pick up her scimitar from between several bodies and walked purposefully toward the stairs.

Luna looked back into the doorway where Serenity was beside Rei and staring, unseeing, out at the ruins of the kingdom. "We need to find the Queen," Artemis said close to her ear. "It's time to end this." Luna nodded and turned away. From behind them, they heard the Princess let out a scream of grief and rage, a single long note. Luna paused but knew they had to keep walking. She forced herself to ignore the sound as Serenity continued to scream, over and over. They had to find the Queen. She was the only one with the power to help them now.

-Setsuna-

Setsuna stood next to Hotaru on the balcony to the Queen's reception room, silently watching the scene below. Directly below them, the charred remains of the training grounds glowed dully. The gray and white remains of the outer wall were barely visible through the thick cloud of smoke hanging over the grounds. However, from their vantage point they had an unobstructed view of the front gates. Their attention was currently trained there.

"We could just go down there and run her through," Hotaru suggested, tapping the shaft of her glaive against the railing.

"It wouldn't change anything," Setsuna pointed out. "Too much has been lost already."

Hotaru shrugged sullenly. "It'd make me feel better at least."

Setsuna chuckled softly despite the situation. "Yes, me too." The younger girl's lips twitched in a brief smile. They continued to watch as, far below them, a tiny red haired figure spoke before a small crowd of dark creatures. They were too far away to hear what was being said, but Setsuna could make a fair guess. Now that the defenses had been breached, she was sure Beryl was planning to find the Queen and take her crystal.

Both women turned at the sound of light footfalls down the hallway. Luna and Artemis rounded the corner and stopped in the empty room, looking around. "Where is she?" Artemis asked tiredly.

"What's happened?" Setsuna asked, even though she already knew.

Artemis blinked back frustrated tears. "They're dead," he said flatly.

"Princess Saturn, please excuse me for a moment," she said politely, inclining her head. Hotaru nodded and returned to staring down into the courtyard.

Setsuna didn't speak until the door to the balcony was firmly shut. "You're sure?"

Luna hung her head, allowing her own tears to drip onto the snowy carpet. "We saw Mars… Rei, die. She was on the balcony with Serenity and Minako."

"I found Ami and Makoto as well," Artemis added in a shaking voice. "They must have gotten cut off when the ceiling collapsed. It looked like they put up quite a fight."

Setsuna knelt down and both cats pressed closer to her. She tried to think of something comforting to say, but words failed her as her own vision began to blur.

"Hopefully, that will help them understand," Queen Serenity said as she stepped out of the main computer room. She had decided to use the Mercurian computers to leave a last message to her daughter and guards in the future. She met Setsuna's eyes pointedly and smiled sadly. "Is it time?"

Setsuna nodded and the Queen approached, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You did everything you could, all of you."

"No," Luna choked out. "We didn't"

Artemis looked up, eyes shining. "But we will, next time."

Setsuna ran a hand along each of their backs before standing to address the Queen. "Beryl is by the front gates. I'm sure she'll try to make her way up here soon." Queen Serenity nodded and started to turn away, but Setsuna caught her wrist. "My Queen, please, perhaps there is still some other way…"

Queen Serenity smiled and cupped her cheek lightly. "We both know there isn't. This way, at least they will have another chance at happiness. Knowing that, I can leave this life in peace."

Setsuna nodded again and swallowed the painful lump in her throat. She studied the Queen intently, locking her in her memories. Even though she was pale now and tired, Setsuna would always remember her beautiful and radiant. A woman who was willing to sacrifice her own life for the happiness of those she loved. The Queen smiled once more at her and Setsuna returned it before turning away. She stepped back out to the balcony, leaving Luna and Artemis with the Queen. They would stay with her as she locked the souls of everyone they'd failed safely into the crystal and transferred its care to her daughter. Now, the time had come to fulfill her own role.

Hotaru tilted her head slightly, but didn't acknowledge her presence further. "Are you ready?" Setsuna asked quietly.

"You're certain this is what you want?" the girl replied softly. "Once all of this is gone, there will be no bringing it back."

Setsuna nodded. Her own task in the Queen's plan was small compared to the girl at her side. She would simply send them all to the future to be reborn in a time of peace to give them the chance the Queen so badly wanted them to have. Hotaru's job was to destroy everything left behind.

"Alright then," Hotaru said, turning to her. "I'm ready." Someday, Setsuna knew, she would see them all again. Maybe then she could make up for her failings in this life. Somehow, they would all be happy.

Epilogue: Thousands of years later in Tokyo, Japan

The young miko stared into the roaring flames, trying to grasp the vision that had been eluding her for weeks. It was something important and it had been haunting her every time she'd come to visit the sacred fire. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar city: tall buildings, a clock tower. London? She pulled her sight back and gasped as she caught sight of a young blonde girl standing on a roof's edge.

The image was blurred in places but she could make out a red mask and a strange outfit. Somehow, the girl seemed familiar. She was searching for something, just as the miko had been her whole life. She tried to get a better look but the vision began to slip away. She was only left with impressions: blue eyes and love. And the feeling that this girl knew how to fill the aching hole in her heart…

On the other side of the city, a young girl with blonde pigtails leapt out of bed, realizing she was late for school…

Special Thanks to:

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Thank you to everyone for reading! See you in the sequel!