Rising Darkness

By Sillabub 429

Epilogue – Reflections

Life progressed peacefully and happily for the senshi of Earth and Kinmoku, and each day passed as if it were in hyper-drive. With the help of the teleporters linking the two planets, it was rare that either group went more than a week without seeing one another, greatly benefiting the relationships between both Taiki and Ami and Yaten and Minako (the latter two becoming a favorite topic among gossip writers in Tokyo). Minako's fame continued to grow, and fans of hers were positively thrilled with her relationship with Yaten, most of whom remembered his days as a member of the Three Lights. It wasn't long before the pair became so popular and well-recognized that they had to resort to spending much of their free time on Kinmoku, simply to have peace and quiet away from the fans and tabloids.

Life also became much more generous to Rei; thanks to funding by Yuuichirou's family, the Hikawa Jinja was fully rebuilt and restored, complete with a shrine for Rei's grandfather. And only one week after Rei and Yuuichirou moved back into their home, Rei gave birth to a little girl, a daughter they chose to name Risa, after Rei's mother, who had died when Rei was a child.

And as it so often happens in life, it suddenly was as if everyone within the group was either getting engaged, married, or having a baby. Not long after Makoto announced that she and her childhood friend Shinozaki were engaged, Kakyuu and Seiya had their own daughter, Ayaka. Then there was quite a surprise to the group when, on one fall afternoon as several of the senshi were having a picnic in the park, a wide-eyed Usagi pointed out that Ami and Taiki had matching bandages on their ankles and wondered aloud how both had managed to get injured in the exact same place. The others weren't quite as naïve, and after lots of questions and pokes at the couple, it was revealed by a red-faced Ami that both she and Taiki had the matching tattoos of a united couple; they had eloped without anyone else knowing! This information stunned the group, but none more than Minako, who had lately been hinting heavily to Yaten that she wanted to be the next one in the group to be married and subsequently spent the rest of the afternoon sulking and sending wounded looks in Yaten's direction.

Needless to say, the others didn't even attempt to try to cover up their amusement at Yaten's vain (and slightly frantic) attempts to make Minako stop pouting. Underneath all of their glee, however, each senshi couldn't help but marvel at the hold Minako had on Yaten; if it was anyone else but Minako, Yaten would be more likely to tease them and encourage their bad mood than try to improve it, as if he derived some sort of twisted amusement from the emotional turmoil of others. Then again, Yaten was happier and friendlier around everyone (especially Haruka, with whom he now shared an odd sort of friendship), more so than he had ever been, an impressive feat that was certainly the doing of Minako and her cheerful, irresistible optimism. And although everyone was completely shocked at the news of Ami and Taiki's secret marriage, they were eager to see how Yaten would deal with the extra pressure to pop the question to Minako.

"He is planning on doing it sometime, isn't he?" Michiru asked one day as she and Haruka sat at home in front of the television, trying their hardest to ignore the pained sounds coming from Hotaru as she tried her hardest to keep up with one year-old Chibi-Usa.

Haruka looked blankly over at her wife. "Who's going to do what?"

"Yaten," Michiru elaborated, raising a slender eyebrow. "He is planning on proposing to Minako-chan, right?"

Haruka smirked and folded her arms. "And you assume I know the answer?" she asked teasingly.

Michiru was about to respond when there was a crash from the dining room. "Geez!" came Hotaru's strangled cry. "Chibi-Usa-chan, slow down!"

"I think Hotaru's bitten off more than she can chew, babysitting the problem child again so soon after the last catastrophe," Haruka commented wryly.

"Chibi-Usa-chan isn't a problem child, Haruka," said Michiru primly. "She simply has her mother's energy."

"That's for sure."

"And don't change the subject," Michiru added, frowning. "You would know as well as anybody else if he's going to propose, considering how friendly you two have become."

Haruka rolled her eyes and tried her hard to look exasperated, but she never managed to look exasperated around Michiru. "I might know something," she said calmly, leaning back on the couch and crossing her legs.

Michiru waited for a moment for Haruka to elaborate, but when her wife failed to do so, she asked impatiently, "Well?"

Haruka had been examining her nails nonchalantly, but when Michiru spoke, she stopped and looked amusedly over at her. "You're awfully curious about this."

Michiru looked quickly down at her hands. "Only a little bit," she said, as calmly as possible. "It's only because I consider Minako-chan a friend and want the best for her, and if that happens to be a proposal from Yaten Kou then I certainly would want to--"

"Minako-chan asked you to ask me, right?" Haruka interrupted flatly.

Michiru stopped, blinking. "How did you know?"

"Yaten warned me that she might and told me that I shouldn't say anything."

As Michiru sighed and shook her head, the doorbell rang, and at the sound of it Hotaru cried from the hall, "Oh, thank GOD!"

There was a sound of thundering feet as Hotaru dashed by the spot where Haruka and Michiru were sitting, Chibi-Usa clutched firmly in her arms as she made a beeline for the door and flung it open.

"Usagi-san! Mamoru-san!" she exclaimed, looking positively hysterical. "Come in! Take your daughter!"

She shoved Chibi-Usa into Mamoru's arms as he stammered, "Er, hi, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru murmured a vague greeting as she led them to the living room, looking battered and exhausted with her short black hair sticking up at odd angles and one sock missing.

"Oh, I missed my baby," said Usagi happily, taking Chibi-Usa from Mamoru and hugging her fondly. "Was she alright?" she asked Hotaru as they reached the living room.

"She was a terror -- um -- terrific source of entertainment," Hotaru replied, grinning in a very forced way.

Haruka sniggered as Michiru smiled pleasantly. "Hello, Usagi-chan, Mamoru-san," she said politely.

"Hey, guys," Mamoru grinned. "So what do you say, Hotaru-chan? Think you can babysit for us again the day after tomorrow?"

A look of panic spread across Hotaru's face. "I have an exam that day," she said quickly.

"But that's a Sunday," said Usagi, looking perplexed.

"Yeah," Hotaru said, backing away from the room slowly, eyes very wide and frightened. "School's changed a lot since you graduated, Usagi-san. They make us go every day now."

She was met with flat looks all around and, sensing they weren't buying her story, Hotaru looked down at her watch. "Oh, no!" she cried. "I've got to go study! Bye!" Hotaru turned and teetered toward the door, wobbling as though drunk as the others watched her retreat.

"Tough times finding a babysitter?" asked Haruka innocently.

Usagi nodded as Chibi-Usa squealed and tried to fight her way from her arms. "Yeah," she said, looking positively confused as she handed the toddler over to Mamoru. "I have no idea why."

"What a mystery," said Haruka, feigning bewilderment as Chibi-Usa let out a shriek.

Michiru elbowed her, but Usagi didn't notice; her eyes were widely fixed on the television. "Hey, look!" she cried, pointing. "Yaten-kun!"

They looked over at the television screen to see a young female news anchor following after a silver-haired someone with a long ponytail. "Speak of the devil," commented Haruka, turning the volume up on the television as they all watched the reporter chase after Yaten as if oblivious to the fact that he was trying to get away from her.

"Yaten Kou!" the reporter cried, sprinting after him. "Yaten Kou!"

She caught up to him as he turned around and remarked crossly, "Damn, you're fast."

"Yaten-san, you're a very hard person to talk to outside of the company of Aino Minako," the reporter said cheerfully, not even out of breath. "It's a rare thing to find you alone. Do you mind giving me a few minutes of your time?"

Yaten's eyes darted around as if he were trying to devise an escape plan. "Do I have a choice?" he asked distractedly.

Usagi, Mamoru, Michiru, and Haruka watched in intrigued silence as the reporter continued, cheerful as ever, "Yaten-san, lately there've been rumors that you're thinking of resuming your singing career. Is there any truth to those rumors?"

"Those rumors are utter crap, as usual," Yaten said flatly, edging away. "Can I go now?"

"What about a possibility of recording a duet with Aino-san for her new album?" the reporter asked, blinking widely. "I know fans would love to hear both of you together, perhaps singing a love ballad or something!"

"Yeah, well, they'll have to live with the disappointment, won't they?" Yaten replied, still backing away despite the fact that the reporter was still following him.

"Speaking of Aino-san, we're all very curious about your relationship," the reporter said, swooping down on a new topic. "One source claims to have seen you shopping around in a jewelry store just yesterday! Tell me . . ."

"Oh, God, stop," Yaten interrupted, stopping in his tracks and holding his arms out. "Just stop."

"But Yaten-san, fans want to know if you're considering . . ."

"I LOVE HER, OKAY?!" Yaten burst out in irritation. "I love her, and I'm fully ready and willing to make our relationship a permanent one, so you have your answer!"

The reporter simply blinked, looking quite stunned as if she wasn't expecting that level of honesty . . . or that volume of shouting. "Er . . . Yaten-san . . . I don't want to assume anything, but are you saying . . . ?"

"Connect the damn dots and figure it out!" Yaten said loudly, pushing past the reporter and flicking his ponytail over his shoulder as he sent her an annoyed look. "And leave me alone! Geez!"

The reporter could only watch as Yaten stalked away, shoving his hands in his pockets and grumbling audibly about having no privacy anymore, and as the camera closed in on the reporter's completely flabbergasted expression, that expression was mirrored on the faces of the four senshi watching from home.

"Well, there you are, straight from the horse's mouth," the reporter said, smiling nervously at the camera. "It sounds like wedding bells may in fact be in store for pop idol Aino Minako and former Three Lights member Yaten Kou. We'll just have to wait and see what develops--"

There was silence as Haruka turned the television off, and the reporter's words hung in the air of the quiet room as the others stared wide-eyed at the screen. The silence was only broken by a few coos from Chibi-Usa and a muffled thump from the other room that sounded much like Hotaru had passed out, and then finally Haruka smiled in a very strained way over at Michiru.

"Well, there's your answer," she said wryly.

"Oh, my . . ." breathed Michiru, her eyes wide.

Mamoru and Usagi continued staring blankly at the television set, neither one speaking or moving until Mamoru said flatly, "You don't suppose Minako-chan's watching television right now, do you?"

Usagi didn't look at him; her gaze was fixed on the blank screen as she replied, "Why do you ask?"

Her husband turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Because I think Yaten-kun just blew his cover."

Sure enough, at that very moment Usagi's cell phone rang from her purse, and as she retrieved it and blinked at the screen, the look on her face clearly said that yes, Minako was the one calling.

"Erm . . . Minako-chan?" she said, grinning through grit teeth as she flipped the phone open.

Minako's voice was loud enough so that the entire room could hear her as she squealed, "DID YOU SEE, DID YOU SEE, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!"

"And there's your answer," Haruka said with a flat glance at Mamoru.

"Um . . . see what?" asked Usagi, feigning innocence.

"YATEN, YATEN, YATEN!" cried Minako over the phone. "HE WAS ON TV AND HE SAID . . . well, he didn't say EXACTLY, but he meant . . . I mean . . . HE'S GOING TO PROPOSE!"

There was a moment where Usagi looked as if she was going to continue playing dumb, but that passed as soon as an ear-piercing shriek came out of the speaker of Usagi's cell phone, followed by a loud thud and a series of crashes that sounded very much like Minako had either tripped over her phone cord in excitement or had been attacked by a robber.

"Minako-chan! Are you okay?" asked a wide-eyed Usagi.

After a moment of panicked squeaking that confirmed the former of the two options had happened and Minako had indeed fallen down, Usagi managed to get Minako to calm down to the point where the hyper blonde's voice was no longer audible to the others. Another moment passed before Usagi hung up the phone and turned to the others, smiling in a very dazed way as if she wasn't sure what had just happened.

"I've got to go to Minako-chan's to help her pick out something to wear," she said, turning to blink up at Mamoru, who was still holding the squirmy Chibi-Usa.

"Why's that?" he asked.

She smiled. "Apparently Yaten-kun asked Minako-chan to a fancy dinner tonight, and Minako-chan has a hunch he's going to propose."

"Sure, NOW she has a hunch," said Mamoru, jerking his head in the direction of the dormant television, but Usagi only grinned and took his arm, steering him in the direction of the door.

"I have to help her, Mamo-chan," she said, very matter-of-factly. "This is a very important moment in every woman's life, so Minako-chan has to look her best!"

"Doesn't she have stylists for that?" Mamoru asked, sighing as Usagi continued steering him toward the door.

Usagi swatted him. "Only for concerts, and what better person to dress Minako-chan for her big night than me?" she said with a pout.

Michiru and Haruka only watched them from the couch as Mamoru replied wryly, "Just don't give her something with pink puffy sleeves, okay, Usako? You're the only person I know over the age of ten who can pull that off, and I don't think Yaten-kun wants to look like a pedophile when he's proposing to the woman he loves."

There was a shriek of "Mamo-chan!" as Usagi opened the door and scowled at her husband, who looked back at the two women on the couch and waved cheerily.

"Goodbye, you two!"

Haruka and Michiru waved back as Mamoru and Usagi walked outside and closed the door after them, and even as the sound of their footsteps faded, they could still hear Chibi-Usa squealing and Usagi shouting after Mamoru.

After a moment, Haruka leaned back on the couch, looking to be at a loss for words. Finally, after another moment of quiet, she commented, "Mamoru-san is such a good sport, isn't he? Sometimes I wonder if he hasn't gone partially deaf."

"Haruka!" scolded Michiru, slapping her shoulder lightly and trying her best to look scandalized, even though she couldn't hold back a smile. "What a thing to say!"

"I'm only kidding," Haruka said with a grin, nudging Michiru. "Just trying to get a rise out of you."

Michiru rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her wavy hair. "Still . . ." she said, looking back over at the blank television, "it's nice to know that Minako-chan and Yaten are going to be engaged soon."

Haruka nodded. "Yeah, but what a way to announce it," she replied with a smirk.

Michiru laid her head on Haruka's shoulder as she sighed wistfully. "I think it's romantic," she said softly. "They're so perfect for each other."

"You reckon Minako-chan will say yes?" Haruka asked teasingly, glancing down at her wife.

"She'd have to be a fool not to," Michiru replied with a smile.

"Well, a fool is certainly something Minako-chan is not," Haruka said, and Michiru sighed in agreement.

They sat like that for a long time, quietly thinking about Minako and Yaten and that next step forward in their relationship, and although neither said a word about it, they were both happy in the knowledge that their two friends were going to share what they both had -- love and companionship that was sure to last forever. And somewhere, some hours later, a quietly anxious (but not one to show it) Yaten Kou proposed marriage to a nervous and jittery but stunningly beautiful Aino Minako, and she said yes.

-owari-

HOLY COW! It's finally DONE! I didn't intend to leave off having Haruka and Michiru being the ones who close out the story, but it kind of happened that way. I had so many different versions of the epilogue written, but this was the one I liked best! It's nothing poetic or profound, and it definitely is longer than I thought it'd be, but it was sweet and to the point, so I'm pretty sure no one will mind! Oh, and I decided to name Seiya and Kakyuu's daughter Ayaka because I remember stumbling across the name and finding its meaning was "fragrant, colorful flower," and I found that terribly appropriate. Anyways, I've got a couple more things to say before I'm gone so . . . here we go!

First off, I owe a huge thank you to every single person who read this story, everyone who reviewed, and especially everyone who still loves Sailor Moon as much as I do, even after all these years! This story wouldn't have been possible without your support and encouragement, and thank you for giving me something to be proud of and work hard on. I owe you all everything! Thanks also to Kotetsu-san of Starlight Pops for posting this on her amazing site, and I hope that she never, ever closes it because it is hands-down the BEST Starlights site, if not Sailor Moon site, that exists on the internet! If you guys have never been to Starlight Pops, I encourage you to visit right this moment and explore the plethora of amazing pictures, research, and fanworks that exist there . . . it's kept me entertained for YEARS! Also a huge thanks to smcandy-san: you are such a great source of encouragement and inspiration, and I appreciate every email and comment you have sent me over this long journey . . . thank you, girl!

I'm also happy to announce that I now have a deviantart website that I'm posting my illustrations on, so be sure to check it out if you're interested! Just go to the "Homepage" link on my author profile to see it . . . although right now the collection is very small, but it'll grow! Let me know what you guys think!

And now for something some of you have expressed interest in . . . I'm happy to announce that I will be writing a sequel. I'm in my research phase right now, but I have some very solid ideas that I'm pretty excited about, so please be sure to keep watch over the next few months for the sequel to Rising Darkness, tentatively titled Green Earth, Blue Sky. I've got quite a few interesting developments in store for our dear senshi . . . and probably even a wedding in the future!

Alrighty, I think that's all for me! As always, Sailor Moon belongs to the great Takeuchi Naoko and the lovely people at Toei Animation. So in the immortal words of Douglas Adams, "So long, and thanks for all the fish."

Sillabub, 09/02/08