Epilogue

Years had passed since the defeat of Mother. The future that Chibi-Usa had come from finally came to be, Crystal Tokyo had been forged, and the Moon Kingdom was once again in reign.

Nobody forgot the terrible sacrifice made by Zero Shinzaki, in the battle against the fearsome World Eater. Even as lives were lost, and reborn, they never forgot. The kingdom of Saturn raised a monument to him, in honor of the man who undid their greatest folly, shrines were placed all over the galaxy, in honor of the Goddess he followed, Tiamat.

But something always rung strange in the Senshi's minds. While Kira disappeared with his death, as she'd forecasted she would…so did the Guild that he had frequented. The entire building up and vanished, as if never there. As well, the satellite cannon Replekia disappeared as well, vanishing in the same rip it came. None could comprehend the meaning behind it.

His students grieved, save for one. The blond girl, Mikoto, always had a soft smile on her face, as if she were aware of something nobody else was. Even when police found her body, dead, cold, hands clutching an open bottle of pain killers…she was still smiling.

That smile haunted the dreams of all who knew Zero, wondering what it was that she knew, that they didn't. Kouji worked with Kyu, to better teach the Demoness to channel the power of Darkness, for the elder clone of Hotaru was extremely dissatisfied that the man who gave her life, perished at the hands of someone she considered unworthy to take him.

Time passed, with a revelation. The massive clash between forces during the battle with Mother created a very powerful distortion in the timeline, making it impossible for Chibi-Usa to return to her original home. While crushed, at first, Chibi-Usa quickly came to realize that perhaps thatwas what was meant to happen. While she loved her parents dearly, after spending countless battles and events with her friends, they became like family as well. And while she wished to return home, she made a vow, that for Zero's sake, she would grow, she would become even stronger than she was in that alternate future they had visited.

Hotaru was hit the hardest. For weeks she barely ate a thing, not speaking to anyone, cursing herself for her weakness…

But it was Mikoto's death that snapped her out of it. The older girl left a few letters behind, ones specifically meant to go to certain people, Hotaru being one of them. The letter stated not to give up hope, that Zero believed in infinite possibility, and if she loved him, Hotaru would as well. The World, as she stated, does not forget its saviors.

While not her old self, Hotaru's mood improved drastically, though the reasoning was frowned upon by some. They felt she was holding false hope in her heart, and ignoring reality. To them, Zero was dead, no chance of returning. The attack he used generated a massive gravitational field that crushed everything within it to atoms, himself included. But she ignored them. She trusted her heart, and her instincts, and they said that anything was possible. She didn't care if it would take her an eternity, she would be re-united with him, no matter what.

After all she herself was the Psion of Destruction. If he didn't come back, she would just tear through reality until she found him again.

Like with any kingdom, War occasionally sprouted up. Battles were few, and far between enough that the kingdom enjoyed a relative peace more often than not. However, the latest war was against a powerful faction of warriors from another galaxy. These beings capable of feats of strength and magic that few had ever encountered before. The unified kingdoms under the Lunar Rule fought back, but even they were losing ground. The Senshi took their place at the front of the war, their powers keeping the tides from fully turning against them, but the constant battles, the constant struggle, was wearing them thin.

The Moon Kingdom's army was growing tired, weak, from continuous assault. The opposing faction known only as the Erasers, had blocked all trade and supply routes, as well as any route for back-up. Weeks into the war, both sides were slowly being exhausted, but the Moon Kingdom was tiring faster.

Even then, they fought valiantly, to the point where the leader of the Erasers, a tall pale skinned woman with long tassels of flaming red, joined the Fray. For a time, her presence forced the Moon Kingdom onto the defensive, until their own leader, Neo-Queen Serenity, joined, sporting her Eternal Sailor Moon form. The Moon Kingdom's two personal Senshi, had finally entered the battle. Chibi-Usa, now only called Sailor Moon, had been trying to hold the line with her allies, but even Saturn's massive destructive reach could do little, without causing immense collateral damage.

However it was not without a plan, did Neo-Queen Serenity enter the fray.

The moon was surrounded, the castle blocked from above by the Eraser fleet. The Lunar Kingdom's own ships floating in the ether of space, their fleet being slowly pushed back to the brink of destruction by the Erasers. It was during this time, as each life was lost, as each ship was destroyed, did Serenity come up with a plan. She retained the magics that Zero's training, how little it was, had allowed her to learn. Knowing of his methods with seals, how he bound Kira to him, how he drew out the Pure Heart Crystals within those he marked, she designed one of her own.

She knew the potential for coming destruction, she knew the possibility of her home, her family, all that she cared for, her kingdom being completely eradicated. Thus, she delegated to borrow a page from her predecessor's book. Recalling the form and power of Zero's last act, she designed a seal that would trigger upon her unnatural demise, one that would do as Queen Serenity before her did, and contain the existences of all, sealing them away for the battle to continue again later.

It was her gambit, it was her last design, her last act…

As the two monarchs battled it out, it seemed as if Serenity were to fall, her hidden notion to be triggered…until an unexpected thing took place.

Both sides halted, as a strange child suddenly appeared between the battling Monarchs. As the two female leaders were to clash, they suddenly twisted aside, as a little girl with long black hair stood between them.

"What is this? You would insult me by bringing forth a child into our battle?"

"Silence, invader. She is not of ours, is she not yours?"

The child spoke.

"I am of one being, and they are neither of you."

She looked between the two, both armies stopping the battle, some in mid-swing, others loosing their muscles.

"Your battle has reached the ears of my Lord, and he has chosen a side to assist."

Both were confused. Who was this child, and who was this Lord she spoke of? And what business of it was his to interfere in their war?

"It is his business, for this Kingdom is under his watchful Gaze. He believes this war has gone on long enough, and will now act, to end it."

"Who are you? What manner of trickery is this?" Adrianna, leader of the Erasers, queen of the 'Dark Ones' demanded.

"Even I must echo my opponent's query. Who is it you speak of? Why have we never heard of such an existence?" Serenity once again found herself echoing her opponent's query.

"You will find out. All of you…in time."

The girl stepped back, and spread her arms. And then she vanished.

When the little girl first appeared, everything had stopped. The Senshi, the opposing armies, everyone. They all stared in the direction of where the child was.

When the little girl first spoke, they all felt an odd weight in their hearts. As if something were just placed there. Something unknown.

When the little girl vanished, one, felt their heart and mind begin to pound. An unintelligible string of words running through their mind.

And then the one spoke.

"…SATURN tab ADDR NEL ku NEL NNOI DRI NNOI, NEL HEPT DRI HEPT, NEL VIRA NEL NNOI, jYEwA INFINITIA!"

(From Saturn I entrust myself to the address 0x0131:0737:0501 in Infinitia!)

A blaze of light erupted from beneath the feet of Sailor Saturn. Unseen to any, for it had no physical form, only conceptual, her Sailor Crystal changed slightly. Being once a dark violet, represented of her personal colors as Sailor Saturn, it now carried with it a soft, silver glow. Around her body formed a similar silver shimmer, the light beneath her feet forming into a glyph containing the sigil of the planet Saturn, as well as one that was only familiar to the Senshi.

Encased around the glyph of Saturn…was the glyph of Chaos.

I don't know why I did it. I don't know where the words came from. But I said them. And after I did, I felt…judged. I felt as if my very existence were being looked at.

And I felt…questioned. The question posed, felt as if asking "What do you wish to gain from this unison? Is it power you seek? The end to all who oppose you?" And I thought about it.

Power…

I had power. I held plenty of it. I always have. I didn't need more power. No…

When the sensation gave the feeling of questioning…I knew then, what it was that I wanted. What I'd always wanted.

I wanted control.

And when I sent those feelings back…I felt…lighter.

I felt…accepted.

I felt accepted in a way only he had done before me. It brought me to tears. I felt myself wish, for all of this to be over, to be reunited with him, even if it meant to die. I knew then…I was willing to give it all up, my home, my friends, my life, if it meant I could have him again.

They all felt the immense pressure coming from her body. They saw the blaze of light erupt from her form, turning into a shell, a sphere of protection. Soft pulsing echoes of energy wafted off of the protective barrier, drawing the attention of even those ready to raze the castle to ruins from above. Everyone on the battlefield watched as the sphere seemed to radiate with power. And for a moment, they all felt the true existence of such a destructive force.

Horror filled their hearts as they realized this was their end, to be crushed violently, without a care, as if nothing. To face the fury of a Goddess that could cast them down in a single wave of her hand.

And then the sensation vanished. It vanished as the sphere began to shrink, the violent flares it gave off, calming slowly. Smaller, smaller, smaller still it shrunk until it was no larger than a human was tall. And then slowly, the light stripped away, revealing Sailor Saturn once again. She was wearing what her friends had come to call her 'Ascended' garb, the black lace gloves crawling up her arms like crossing webs of elegance, the same to the black socks that reached just below her thighs, her Senshi uniform changing as it did before. All beheld her new form, her beauty, as the dark maroon bow on her lower back swung in the lunar winds.

The light swirled around her still, gathering at her back where it flared and split into eight glowing violet points of light. The wings gave off soft traces of particles of energy, echoing outward faintly.

Silence reigned. They were stunned.

And yet…her wings shimmered, they shuddered violently. Tears welled up, and began cascading down her face.

"I believe these belong to you, Tomoe-san."

He held out Hotaru's books.

"W-what? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come now. That's a nice illusion you have there, but once I figured it out, it fell. You left these behind in your rush to leave Tomoe-san."

I saw it all. Every memory.

"…I shouldn't be wasting my time with this…but I hate it when the truth is muddled…

I didn't defeat her. She defeated me. My goal was solely to stop her from using her World Ending attack. The details are…classified…but suffice it to say I got my ass handed to me. If it weren't for a bit of luck-

Hotaru broke-in here. "And the fact that you're a massive flirt."

All the time we spent together. All the things we shared.

"Hotaru, is Hotaru. Sailor Saturn is Hotaru, but Hotaru is Hotaru first. If Hotaru needs my help, I'll help. The rest of you can go suck on a bullet."

All I wanted was him. All I wanted was for him to be back.

But I knew he wouldn't come back.

I accepted that…finally.

And then I came to realize…

I didn't want to lose the rest of my family.

"Well…there…is a long term thing you can do."

Everyone stopped at his hesitation…or what they thought was hesitation.

"What?"

"Become them." He pointed his thumb back at the other Senshi.

They watched her tiara crack. A loud splintering sound echoed through the battlefield. The golden band shattered to pieces, crumbling to the ground. Her wings exploded outwards, bursting into fragmented orbs of light. Her outfit seemed to fray, before shredding off into wisps of light. They stared, the side of the Moon fearing the end of their only chance at survival, the side of the Erasers just as confused, some wanting to feel elated for victory, but a heavy presence refuting it.

Her eyes had closed. Tears streaming down her face as she recalled everything…including his last true wish to her. Lids opened, revealing to the world glowing orbs. Yet where once were deep powerful violet, now rest a dark, empty grey. Her uniform shred entirely, leaving just faint glowing wisps of light covering her personal areas, floating like ribbons surrounding her body.

She took a step forward.

Hotaru rose her left arm, gently lifting her fingers to point at the Army before her. A small light shot from her wrist, forming into a single ring. The ring tinted pink, then darkened to a deep red. The ring seemed to ripple inwards, splitting into two circles, creating two rings of light, one slightly smaller than the other. Before everyone's eyes, at four points around the ring, inside the small space between circles, formed two points of light in between what looked like an upside-down V shape. These strange symbols appeared at the north, west, east, and southern points of the ring. Inside the twin circles, in the heart, formed the symbol of Mars, the circle leading into an arrow pointed north-east. The crest of Mars seemed to flicker, unstable, however. In seconds, the crest shimmered into the exact same symbol that was on the sides of the double-circle, before the symbol of Mars seemed to trace itself along the edges of light.

A moment after the strange glyph formed, a small red orb launched from Hotaru's palm, slamming into it. They watched the orb become sucked into the glyph, the glyph itself seeming to distort, almost as if the center of it were reaching forward.

Moments later, the glyph got sucked into its own core, a blinding flare of red erupting into view, before a massive sphere of flame slammed into the group of warriors under the Eraser banner. The screams of their deaths echoed across the battlefield, everyone oblivious to the odd spatial distortion appearing high above the Lunar land.

In the blink of an eye, an entire section of her forces destroyed, Adrianna recoiled from the girl's empty gaze, before screaming a command for her aerial forces to bombard the battlefield.

Flares lit up the night sky, streaks of energy beams, missiles, and all manner of ordinance ripped from the fleet above, screaming towards the battlefield just in front of the castle.

As panic set into her allies, all of them knowing that such a bombardment would have heavy casualties, if not wipe them all out entirely, Hotaru gently rose her hand just above her head, another double ring of light forming in place with a soft thunk. In seconds, another glyph formed, this one pale white, holding within what looked like the form of two vertical lines and two horizontal lines at the four cardinal directions around a small dot, along with four more, much smaller lines in between them. At the center of the glyph formed the upward golden crescent, that was the symbol of the Lunar Kingdom, before it took the shape of the other symbols. The glyph seemed to pulse, a shimmering wall appearing, all of the ordinance loosed towards the Kingdom smashing against it.

As the light and flames cleared, gasps from both sides rang out.

Not a single thing was touched.

A point of Hotaru's wrist, and once again, a glyph came into existence. This one holding odd markings, two V shapes, one upside down with its tip touching the proper one, and four lines, two horizontal, above and below the V's and two vertical, to the sides. Loosely, they resembled a crude looking hourglass-like shape. In the center formed the crest of Pluto, before the Hourglass took precedence. There was a pulse, a distortion of air, as the glyph collapsed. They all stared, Adriana's face falling as in seconds, each one of the ships in her fleet seemed to waiver. Some exploded, others banked sharply into nearby ships before combusting, and still others just seemed to crumble, rusted over.

Hotaru had called forth time itself, forcing those ships to be destroyed now, how they would later.

The Lunar Army was awed. The nearly naked teenage girl was decimating the enemy forces. The power she wielded went far beyond their comprehension, the army shocked, amazed and in disbelief at her prowess, her power to just command the world.

The Senshi, however, knew better.

This was Sailor Saturn's true power. The power over Destruction itself. It was as Kai, as Zero had said long ago: Destruction comes in many forms, and Sailor Saturn was the very avatar of that destruction. She held no elemental alignment, unlike the Senshi. She was not of only one thing. She was of all. She was Life, she was Death. She was the beginning and end of all existence. And she was granted the power of a Concept.

Whatever words she had spoken, just before the change…whatever happened that completely shredded her uniform…it had granted her power beyond compare.

Hotaru pointed, and with another odd sounding thunk, yet another glyph took form. At its sides were N shapes with a vertical line through them, before the symbol of Mercury formed next to them, followed by the symbol for Neptune. The planetary symbols flickered back and forth in the core of the glyph, before taking form into the slashed N, as a pale blue sphere slammed into it. From the glyph, formed a gigantic icicle, one that seemed to be growing from the glyph, before the glyph collapsed, the massive slab of frozen water launching itself into the sky. They watched, captivated as the icicle seemed to shatter, an echoing crack raging through the air, before a loud shrill whistling noise echoed, the hundreds, no thousands of smaller icicles whizzing through the air. Everywhere the icicles landed, was covered in frost, before shattering.

Once again, she had decimated a large portion of the army in a single stroke.

A wall of warriors raced for her, trying to box her in. She knelt down to the ground, touching it gently, where a green light shimmered, forming another glyph. This one was that of a circle with a single line emerging from its bottom, flanked by two straight lines next to it. The curved, connected lines of the crest of Uranus gave way to that of the symbol that the Senshi recognized as Wind.

And yet nothing they thought was going to happen, happened.

It was fast. Faster than their eyes could track, but for a brief moment, the glyph flickered with an oddly shaped 4.

Hundreds of dark green vines ripped from the ground, wrapping around, tangling and engulfing everyone whom had charged her. Adrianna stepped back in shock.

And then another one formed.

At its core formed the symbol of Venus. At the sides formed an upwards pointing triangle, a single vertical line reaching from tip and extending down through and past it, looking like a crude arrow. However, unlike with the other glyphs, as the rings flared first a bright yellow, the symbol of two dots next to the upside-down V appeared next to the arrow shape, and the array flared a metallic silver. The glyph seemed to rise from Hotaru's feet, rising up and converting the vines into solid metal chains.

She held out her arms, palms arced slightly, and two deep green lights appeared. The glyphs that formed mirrored one another, the symbol for Wind appearing again, but flanked by the Arrow shapes from before, as the core flared with the sign of Jupiter. The glyphs flared with light, before condensing around Hotaru's wrists, as her hands crackled with electricity, before arcing outwards and slamming into the chains, electrocuting those whom were tangled in them.

Unseen by any, high above the battlefield, formed a distortion. Multiple colors faded in and out of reality, the air itself seeming to twist and bend. Slowly, as if emerging from the depth of the sea, formed an island, a large spire reaching towards the empty heavens above.

A single, glittering shimmer dropped from the land-mass' edge…

One more glyph appeared before her. Streams of light wafted off of Hotaru, before spiraling around in front of her, between her hands, arms outstretched. They twisted and contorted, looking as if summoning a cocoon, before bursting outward, revealing a very familiar cross tipped staff.

The glyph began to form, a single triangle at first, resting upside down, alone.

The staff seemed to shudder, the extended horizontal tips of the cross seeming to suddenly collapse inward, before the rest of the horizontal bars seemed to rotate, becoming one with the vertical. Then, the ringed portion split. Echoing with a loud clattering noise, three portions of the ring seemed to shift into the single vertical shaft, creating a single pole with an odd curve to it.

Three more triangles appeared, each one at the tips of the first, a single ring of grey surrounding the center triangle.

The remaining odd curve seemed to sharpen, before lengthening immensely. The shaft shimmered silver. Inscribed along the shaft in dark violet, were symbols, spiraling around, curving through one another like strands of DNA. Unknown to any except her, the symbols were 'letters' written in the hymmnos dialect. To everyone else, it was gibberish, but to her it made sense.

Diviega oz Ruinien: Izanagi

(Divine blade of destruction: Izanagi)

Another three triangles appeared, these were smaller, and formed at the three open spaces, tips pointed outwards, around the center triangle.

She grasped the ornate scythe in both hands, body shimmering a heavy violet. Her eyes were closed, body loose, relaxed.

At its core, the cross tipped h of the symbol of Saturn appeared. The glyph gave off a soft violet pulse, as the crest of Saturn became encased in the glyph of Chaos.

Adrianna was stuck. Hell so were the few soldiers around her. As were all on the battlefield. They couldn't move, paralyzed by a nameless fear that had gripped their hearts. Their eyes widened, horror filling them as the girl took a breath, raising her arms above her head, pulling the scythe back.

Everything stopped.

The shimmer appeared behind Hotaru, noting her growth, noting her lack of clothing.

And definitely noting her power.

The figure surrounded by shimmering lights smiled to itself, before 'stepping' forward, entwining glowing streams with her fingers.

Her eyes snapped open, a surge of power shooting through her.

An echoing feeling, a deep, powerful spark, as if something lost had been found.

The world became coated in black scribbles. It was as if the world itself had shattered.

Yet on the glyph before her, there seemed to be a clean break. One, long, black line. She tensed herself, and swung.

…Silence is…

…a vision of being free…

Celebrations were all over the kingdom. The Erasers had been defeated, entirely wiped out thanks to the assistance of one being.

The shimmer that had descended, the one whom sent the girl that changed everything. The kingdom was saved, their foes completely destroyed.

The glyph that Hotaru had summoned, somehow captured the essence of each and every single Eraser. Every one of them, guided by their Queen to destroy the Unified Sol System, was destroyed when Hotaru swung her blade down. The glyph had split in two, before bursting out with a violent violet light.

Every single Eraser split in two, just like the glyph.

The shimmer had revealed itself, after Hotaru's rush of power faded, to the shock of the kingdom.

Hotaru, returning to her normal self, had slapped him with all her strength, then grabbed his reeling head and kissed him with everything she had.

Chibi-Usa, or Lady, as she had inherited, slipped up behind him and pulled him into a hug while Hotaru was making out with him. She beckoned Ami over as well, and the three girls simply engulfed Zero with their wild emotions.

"You have our thanks, Zero Shinzaki. Your efforts, your assistance, leading Sailor Saturn to access her true power, have saved us all." Zero just shook his head. He didn't do a damn thing till the very end and they bloody well knew it.

"See, daddy? I told you it would be a good idea to take a look!"

Everyone froze. The little girl was looking up at Zero with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"You little minx, you did that on purpose didn't you?"

"Yep."

"Ass."

"Learned from the best, daddy."

He sighed and shook his head.

"She's not mine."

"Yes I am."

"No, you're not. You just call me that."

"I'm totally yours."

"Stop putting ideas in their heads!"

"What ideas? It's true!"

"Only technically."

"And that's the best kind."

Heads bounced back and forth as Zero and the little girl had their very confusing conversation.

"Can we please clarify this? I'd like to leave with my nuts intact."

"Depends on what kind of intact you're talking about. Those three look rather eager for you."

"Mikoto!"

"What? You'd say it!"

"I know…that's the problem…beat me to it."

"Oh you know you love me daddy."

"WOULD YOU STOP?"

"Nope."

"Insufferable…"

"And cute too!"

"Yes, yes…I don't know how you're a part of me…"

"There, there daddy. When a man and a woman love each other very much-

"THAT'S NOT HOW YOU SHOWED UP!"

She just continued to smile. He slapped his forehead with his right hand, groaning.

"My gods, I just got bested in a battle of wits by a child who isn't a child."

"I told you, I learned from the best!"

"Learned my ass." He crossed his arms and stared at the little girl. "You had that information in you when you were created."

"Exactly. Of course…" She trailed her finger along his arm. "That's not the only part of you that's been in me."

He just stared at her. "The mental imagery you've just spawned is beyond all comprehensible levels of 'fucked'. Congratulations, you've probably just ruined my entire reputation."

"It's not my fault if someone automatically assumes 'dick' when they hear those words. Besides, I can't help it if I have your blood."

"You're doing this on purpose aren't you?"

"I'm bored. Singing only helps for so long. Tormenting people, now that's a game that can last forever!"

"My pseudo-daughter, ladies and gentlemen. She'll be trailing me around everywhere but the bedroom."

"Unless I'm cold."

"Unless you're cold. But I'm kicking you out whenever the fun stuff is about to start."

"Bastard. How am I supposed to learn?"

"The knowledge should be in your head already, remember? Formed from a portion of my soul and all."

"Bah, I meant hands-on experience!"

"Well when we find another planetary existence that can take a physical form I'll bind it so you can rape the ever loving fuck out of it, happy?"

"YAY! My daddy's the best!" She cried, jumping into his arms.

Everyone was stunned. No words could be spoken, for their minds were still back where the girl was talking about something else of his being in her.

"Daddy I think we broke them."

"Of course we did. That always-MELON!"

The sudden force of his yell made everyone jump, snapping them out of their stupor.

"Why does that always work, daddy?"

"Hell if I know."

Hotaru sputtered. "I…you…daddy?"

Zero sighed, as the little one crawled around to his back, while still on him, like a spider.

"I died. Plain and simple. I threw everything I had into that last effort. Division by ZeroI called it. Though this one here, (Mikoto smiled brightly) renamed it, 'Althena's Light'. The first name didn't come as some egotistical namesake personal attack, but as a concept. The concept of dividing by zero had become such a memorable thing on the internet that speculation ran rampant. It was a joke that anyone who tried, let alone succeeded, would instantly summon a black hole and doom the entire planet. So I took that idea and compressed gravity to the point of complete and utter annihilation. She wanted to sleep, and since the cannon had already fired, there was no way I could destroy the Photosphere without doing it.

We all know that if the Photosphere fell, it would crash right into the heart of Japan…too much death without cause. So, I gave myself up, hoped I could find a way out at the last second but…that didn't happen. I died, and I fell into the afterlife."

"There, Daddy met Lady Tiamat again, and she offered him a choice, continue along the path to his end…or make a new path. She said that there was an opening in the World, for a new Lord of Dreams."

"I asked her if I could see Hotaru again, and she said that if I took the position, after a time, I might be able to, but that was something she didn't have any control over. So, I took the position of Lord of the Dream Realm."

"The Dream Realm had been without a proper Ruler for a few millennia now, so when he came, claiming that position, the World reacted, and took parts of his essence."

"That was unexpected, and not all that pleasant. However, the result was the little girl on my back. She was created from my blood and soul, as well as the essence of the Dream World itself. From that time on, she's called me her father, because technically, I am."

"So basically he banged a dimension."

"Dimensional pimp, hard at work."

The little girl snorted. "Maybe if you didn't constantly have Hotaru on your mind. By the way, Lady, you have an incredible rack."

Zero's eyes closed. "Must you be perverted now?"

"You're not. Someone's gotta do it."

Chibi-Usa just laughed. "Yeah, she's definitely been made from you."

"See what I have to live with? I'm enough for me but now I've got a little girl running around with my knowledge and mannerisms."

Ami frowned slightly. "She's…named after…Mikoto…"

The little girl shook her head. "Not named after. Am."

Everyone stared at her.

"This is something you never told me." Zero admitted, just as surprised as the others.

"Never asked. I died. Committed suicide not long after you vanished. I always knew you were alive somewhere, and I knew that being stuck in a human body would simply slow me down, so I threw it aside. I kept you always in my thoughts, even after my death, so when you came to the Realm, my soul, which was grasping onto the remnant strands of your energy, was pulled along into this body."

"…she…you…were that devoted to me?"

"Of course!" She stated, as if shocked. Then she blinked.

"Oh…I suppose I didn't tell you. After my father died my mother basically turned herself into a cock-slut, fucking everything that walked into her view. Well, the guy she ended up marrying after that was tolerable enough, but it was like she'd completely ignored that my birth father ever existed. It hurt…it hurt a lot…and I was lonely, and a freak because I could make things happen with Wind that were never meant to. And then I met you."

Hotaru finished for her. "And you…fell in love with him, didn't you?"

"I fell in love with his concept. The concept of a person who understands, and guides. The Concept of a person who hates just as much as he loves. I fell for his existence, because he gave me purpose, he gave me hope…life…" She trailed off.

"Nobody understood…what it was like…until I met him. Both parents dead, comfortably living on his own…able to literally fuck the world in whatever way he wanted…being with him…being taught by him was the most incredible thing I'd ever experienced. And then he met you all…and his life kept getting worse and worse."

She held her palm out in front of her, face up. Swirls of dark energy began wafting off of it. Speaking softly, she surprised the group even further.

"You have no idea how badly I wanted to cut you all to ribbons. You hurt him. Hurt the man I loved. I wanted to wipe you all off the face of the planet, consequences be damned."

The fierce glow in her eyes emphasized her point. "You were the source of his new pain, and I hated you all. But I knew…even though your very continued existences as a whole hurt him…he would keep pushing until that damn strand of fate that connected your past with his past was gone, and only the connections he made himself remained. So I stayed my hand…and when he died…I had nothing left."

She turned back to him. "My soul…our soul is in this body because we never let go of you. We never let go of the knowledge that you denied death before…you could do it again. And you did. And when we felt your call…your desperate plea, the Replekia, for help in destroying the one thing that could ruin all your dreams…we reached out to it. And we became this. Your wish…to see her again…to see them again, we felt it. And I knew…I knew that if I focused…if I desired…I could be with you again."

Tears were running down her cheeks. "And I knew, that if I was with you, I could keep you from doing something so STUPID ever again."

"…Sorry…Miko."

"I know you are…you've been sorry all your life…because you keep getting pulled into shit you don't need to be in. You should be with them not Lord of Dreams. But you took up the mantle because you have a bigger heart than you should…and I'm glad you did. I'm going to follow you wherever you go…because you are my daddy now. And that's…that's the best thing I could ever wish for."

She clung to him tighter.

"I love you too Miko."

"He loves you. I don't fully understand it…I have ideas, and they're probably right, but he loves you. All friggin three of you."

"Oi, oi!"

She continued. "He's loved Hotaru forever because she is like him, powerful, uncontrollable, and definitely worth having as a partner. He loves Ami's intelligence, her spirit, her drive, and her willingness to take logic and rape it up the ass to make something work for her."

Both of them blushed, Ami heavier than Hotaru. "And he loves Lady because of what she represents. A girl of the light, who was seduced to darkness through her fears, but then turned back…and later embraced both. He loves you because of your acceptance, your comprehension. The rack helps too."

Usagi laughed. "Yeah, that's definitely something he'd say."

"Alpha." Hotaru said. Mikoto snorted. "That was fast."

"You called him a Dimensional Pimp, didn't you? I know him…he's the type of guy girls fall for, whether they want to or not. And he does have too big a heart than is good for him. So, I'm stating my place. Alpha."

Zero blinked. "…you…sure…"

"No. Not entirely. I don't think I'll ever get used to the thought of sharing you…but…Usagi's like a sister to me, and Ami's close enough. I can deal."

"Besides, someone had to help Hotaru with her…frustrations."

Everyone looked at Mikoto again.

"…you…watched…"

"Hey, I said he was the one who took forever to look back at this world. Not my fault I got some of the good parts."

"…you…are gonna share right?"

"ZERO!" The three exclaimed.

"Maaaaybe."

After a while of the others laughing at both Zero's and the three girl's plight, Haruka had to sober the mood. For once…unwillingly.

"I don't wanna ruin the fun. I really don't. But…what happened to…her?"

Surprisingly, Zero and Mikoto both, gave a small smile.

"Pandora." He called out.

In seconds a swirl of strange dark energy appeared, whipping around until it formed a girl who looked just over Mikoto's age, with long violet hair pulled back in a ponytail, two bangs framing her face. She wore a simple black cloak covering everything. She leaned forward in a bow.

"You called, master?"

"Pan…dora…?" Hotaru muttered.

"Yep. I promised her eternal rest…but after a few generations, it seems she got tired of sleeping so much. So she tracked me down, and asked if I could give her something to do. So, I told her to become one of my guards. Since she was just a spirit, we made her a new form, and gave her an actual name."

"You…named her after one of Saturn's moons…"

"Fitting, isn't it?"

The girl just smiled, happy to be useful, happy to be wanted…happy to be loved.

"I've been working hard…to make amends for all the horrible things I did. Command or not…I still did them. I must atone for my part in the deaths of so many. And…" She lowered her head, until Mikoto slipped off Zero and slid an arm around the older girl's waist, causing her to smile.

"I…want to be with my family. I hope…you can understand that, Other Me."

Hotaru walked forward. Her eyes were hard. The two locked eyes, both girls subconsciously noting how similarly they looked.

"If anything happens to him that you couldn't have prevented, and I was unable to be by his side…I'll kill you myself."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Hotaru smirked, pulling the other girl into a hug. "Then I think we can get along just fine."

It was then explained what the landmass was that had appeared in the space between the Moon and the Earth. Zero told them all that the conceptual plane, the "Dream World" existed as a sort of shell within and yet around the planet. Formed by the Dream Energy of sleeping sentient beings, it existed both around and inside the planet. When he took the mantle of "Dream Lord" he became ruler of that world, and made a fragment of it his own.

Using that "Reality Marble" he created his island, his castle, and his tower, as tribute to his people. The seven fragments of his mind that were once used to keep all mental intrusion out, were now turned into guardians for the world, each one placed at seven points, each one guarding a section of the world, keeping it going. Kira happened to be one of those guardians, as somewhere in the back of his subconscious, long before he accessed the contract they made in his past life, he always felt her existence.

The island he made could go between realms as he chose, and would basically forever sit in the conceptual space between Earth and the Moon, where the "outer shell" of the Dream World was. It was pure luck, he said, that allowed him to see the war raging on in the Moon Kingdom. And from there, he decided it was time to act, time to push the limits of his new role.

"I have no true allegiance to anyone but myself and my world. Anything that threatens it I can move against."

He further explained that anywhere there was sentient life, he could appear. That meant each world that had a planetary kingdom, even if it was defunct at the moment, he could transport himself, or his island to. Conceptually, he could be anywhere, at any time, but physically his island could only manifest in one location. It could be viewed from anywhere basically though, considering that if he kept it in a certain space, he could be at all places at once, or at least visible from there.

He went to state that Pandora was now a Child of Light, the designation given to the highest order of Tower Guardians. She, along with Mikoto, were now his two direct personal guards. Anything that could get past the individual seven guardians of the Realm, and threatened the tower would then have to contend with these two. Their powers were on par with the original Sailor Saturn, and not reduced in any capacity. And should things get dire, they were "installed" with a personal Reality Marble generator that would activate and convert their immediate space into locations where they were in full control. Both had access to the Tower, and the Replekia, and should anything manage to get past them, he would then be able to bring about the full might of the Dream World, and the Tower, Infinitia (named after his old home).

And should that not be enough, he could perform a galactic version of the Division By Zero, using the Infinitia as an amplifier, as well as bouncing his desire along every living being, causing each of them to subconsciously overload their Dream Energy, and become consumed from within. All these resonance fields would then combine and detonate, throwing everything into total destruction.

"However," he added "that is an ability that has to be approved of by Tiamat herself. Literally I have to be the last in line against something that threatens reality as a whole." He explained.

"It was a failsafe he added in case something got lucky and managed to corrupt him for its bidding." Pandora explained. "Such power on its own should not exist, but Reality itself requires a method of reconfiguration, should anything go wrong."

"So…will we be able to come visit?"

"I'm gonna be forging gateways in certain locations. There's a town on Earth actually, in America called 'Twin Seeds'. Not long ago, while the mantle of Dream Lord was still unfilled, the Lord of Nightmares, the dark counterpart to my role, tried to take over all three realms. He almost succeeded, if it weren't for one of his own turning against him, and recruiting the first pair of beings he found with a strong enough Courage Ideya to take on an otherworldly force. From there, their town became saturated in otherworldly forces, as their battle spilled into the physical plane before the Lord of Nightmares was defeated.

That town literally sits on the edge of reality, between the physical world and the Dream World. So I'm going to visit there and see what I can do about turning the borders into a gateway between realms. If I can, then I'll be able to make a smaller version and set them up in other locations. So yes, you should be able to come visit soon. Just remember, time doesn't truly exist there. It's a nexus basically, a void in the time stream."

Pluto nodded. "Yes. Passing through that realm is the easiest and most preferred way to go through time and space at once. Depending on the location you try to access from, you can easily appear anywhere, at any time."

"Daddy…" Mikoto tugged on Zero's arm. "We should go. We have a lot to do."

Zero nodded, pulling Hotaru into a tight hug and a kiss. Hotaru stepped aside for Usagi to do the same, who then let Ami just hold him for a few moments.

"I'll see you all soon again. You'll be the first to know once I make that gateway."

"You better not take forever!" Usagi jabbed him in the chest.

"I wont, I promise."

Pandora held out her hand, and in a flicker of a glyph of a ringed cross stabbed into an infinity symbol, with six sword shapes spread like wings surrounding the cross, a swirling ripple of air appeared, and the three stepped through.

Hotaru sighed, happy that by holding on to hope, she was proven correct.

I promise…I won't let anything separate us again.

Final A/N: Ahh! After Ten-thousand years I'm free! It's time to conquer Earth!

*cough* ahem uhh, I don't know where that came from.

It's been too long. A long wait. This has gone through multiple revisions. I know I said to a certain someone it would be done before Inception was…but…

Well, blame Astoria. She was far more awesome than I intended her to become, and that story (pun partially intended) dominated my mind. But now, finally, it's done.

As I felt that this story didn't have enough of Hotaru being a pure badass, this epilogue has a good amount of that. Elemental manipulations pushed to their extremes, each glyph bearing her connection to the Senshi, as well as a connection to the power of Destruction itself. The Moon Kingdom is back, almost erased, and then saved.

Hotaru's full power was unleashed because she was 'touched' by Mikoto, who was connected to the tower. Mikoto touching her, allowed her to tap into the tower itself, which was formed from the memories and energies of her planet's alternate sister. When she touched it, the powers of the Original Sailor Saturn, the mindless one, fused with the powers of the Second Sailor Saturn, the calm one, the one that eventually would meet the first Zero. The gibberish she spoke was Hotaru acknowledging the tower's existence, and claiming herself as an inhabitant of Infinitia, which was the world one half of her fused soul used to live on.

Lactvoodle:it has been far too long, and for that I'm sorry. But its here. The last was truly the "final" chapter, and this is merely the "after the end" the epilogue. But even so…Zero lives, Hotaru is as powerful as He (actually it should be the other way around, considering that its only now that he's being fueled by a concept), and the worlds are safe again.

Dragon and Sword Master:And finally it ends. Zero has returned, stronger than before, now capable of matching Hotaru's power, that she is now fully conscious of. And he gets the ladies. And a daughter. And a not-sister. So yeah. He made out pretty well in the end.

Finally, its all over. It's finally done. I wish to thank all of my readers, all of the ones who reviewed, and those who pushed through the admittedly shitty first half. Honestly, if I get the urge, I may re-write that whole first half…then again, I probably wont, to show the evolution of my ideas, and my style.

See you next game.