Sands of Time (Destiny Arrives)

Prologue

Mamoru glanced over at the sleeping woman beside him, completely mesmerized by her beauty. His beautiful Usako, the love of his life. She looked so peaceful, he almost didn't want to wake her, but they both had things to do today. Reluctantly, he bent down and kissed her softly on the lips, waking the Sleeping Beauty.

"Good morning, Usako," he whispered.

She lightly yawned, then smiled. "Good morning, Mamo-chan. What time is it?"

"About seven o'clock."

Usagi muttered something about it being too early for a normal person to wake up under her breath, but she didn't really mind. Any morning she woke up next to Mamoru was a good morning. Snuggling under the blankets, she sighed, thinking about last night.

"I had a dream last night," Usagi revealed. "A long, long dream…"

"What kind of dream?"

"I dreamt about all the battles we've fought as Sailor Soldiers and about everything we've been through. You know, sometimes, it's hard to believe it was so long ago. Could it really be over six years since we fought Sailor Galaxia?"

Knowing exactly what she meant, Mamoru nodded his head. Six years of peace… It really was like a dream -- a dream he hoped would last forever.

"A lot of things have changed around here since the last battle…"

"Ami-chan's one of the most respected doctors in all of Tokyo…"

"Rei-chan is now the priestess of the Hikawa Shrine…"

"Mako-chan owns a five-star restaurant…"

"Minako-chan's a movie star in Hollywood…"

"Haruka-san won the Indy 500..."

"Michiru-san is a violin virtuoso, touring all over the world…"

"Hotaru-chan is a senior in high school…"

"And Setsuna-san is the hottest young designer since Stella McCarthy."

Usagi smiled. "Yes, a lot of things have changed, but some things will always stay the same, like how much I love you."

"And I you."

Flopping on her stomach, Usagi glanced down at the beautiful ring on her finger, admiring the sparkle of the large, heart-shaped stone in the center. It was a pink diamond, one of the rarest and most expensive gemstones in the world.

"Mamo-chan, can you say it again?" she asked, staring up at her lover with bright blue eyes.

"I said it fifty times last night…"

"Just once more, please?"

He sighed, knowing that Usagi wouldn't let him leave the bed until he repeated what he said last night. Not that that would be the worst thing in the world…

"Last time… Let's get married, Usako."

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Takeuchi Naoko.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the first part of my three-story Generations series. If you enjoyed this story, be sure to check out Sweet Dreams and Star-Crossed Lovers (preferably after I finish posting this story, but if you don't mind spoilers, feel free to read them), as well as the companion short story Daddy's Little Girl.

Some dialogue in this prologue was taken from the last chapter of the manga.