AN: Hey, only two and a half weeks this time. Progress, right? But here's the thing: this is it. This is the end of Death of Stars. I can't believe it took so long. Hopefully you guys like it.

Disclaimer: As before, so again. I don't own Sailor Moon.

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Instead of dissolving into nothingness, or sinking through the strange waters of the Cauldron, Sailor Moon found herself crashing into a white marble floor.

"Ow!" she cried, rolling to the side and rubbing her nose. It wasn't bleeding, so she had to assume it hadn't broken on impact. It hurt, but after everything she'd gone through, there wasn't an inch on her that didn't.

She brushed nonexistent dirt from her tiered skirts as she got to her feet and turned in a slow circle, trying to understand what had happened. She knew she'd made the leap, and while she'd heard Chibi Chibi shouting at her to stop, they had been too far apart for her to interfere. Besides, if she had, there would still be no reason for her to suddenly find herself in a room that – she noticed in shock – was eerily familiar. She'd seen it before, on two separate occasions.

Sailor Moon looked around wildly, half expecting to find Saturn. Instead, a woman all in white shimmered into view. Her hair, the same luminescent shade as her Senshi's uniform, was dressed in heart-shaped odangos. There were some gold accents in her hair and on her sleeves, and a miniature rainbow graced the front of her skirt. A dark cloak pooled at her feet as though it had just been pushed from her shoulders, a sharp contrast to the light one that floated behind her with the slightest movement.

Eyes shooting between the heavy black fabric and the newcomer, Sailor Moon gasped as realization hit. "You were the woman at the Cauldron!"

"Yes." She took a slow step forward, and a staff materialized in her hand, its butt clicking gently on the cool marble. "I was trying to stop my sister before things reached this point."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sailor Cosmos." After a long pause, their eyes met, blue on blue. "I'm you in the far distant future."

There was a long silence as Sailor Moon tried to process. "No. What – how would that be possible? I've seen my future!"

"Yes. You'll rule as Neo Queen Serenity, guiding the Earth to an unprecedented era of prosperity." She bit her lip before continuing. "Then you won't. Evil always returns, and the time will come when my sister shrugs off her shackles and is reborn with her full power."

"I don't have a sister," Sailor Moon said weakly.

"It's a long and complicated tale, one I don't want to discuss now. You need to destroy the Cauldron, Sailor Moon. It's the only way to prevent the war to come. If you don't, Chaos will rise again, and she won't be so easily defeated as today."

"That wasn't easy."

"No, it wasn't, but it will be much harder if you wait. Seal the Cauldron, destroy it, and you won't have to worry about going through something much worse than this."

"Worse than –" Sailor Moon nearly choked on a bitter laugh. "What's worse than this?! Everyone I love died!"

"And if I told you that bringing them back would just make it happen again, but next time it would be brutal and irreversible?!"

The blonde recoiled as if she'd been slapped. "What?"

"Countless years ago, I was the one standing there being asked to destroy the Cauldron, and I said all the things you're saying, but it doesn't get better! Sure, there are good times still ahead if you bring everyone back, but it doesn't last! I had to hold my daughter as she died!"

If that didn't hit like a punch in the gut, Sailor Moon wasn't sure what would. "Chibiusa died? No. No, I'd protect her."

"I didn't have a chance," Cosmos said bitterly. "There was no warning. Sailor Chaos just appeared and killed them all."

She swallowed hard. "All of them? Even… Mamo-chan?"

"I lost everyone that day. That is why you have to destroy the Cauldron. You can't let her return. She's so powerful, and no matter what I do, it's never enough. The universe is barely hanging on. It's so bad that even if I somehow miraculously beat her, there's nothing left."

"But that can't be right! We were promised a happy future. We were going to get married and have Chibiusa, and our friends – they had their own families to look forward to! We can't have gone through all of this for it to happen again!"

"I know! It's terrible, and so unfair, but it'll still come! There's no avoiding war, Sailor Moon! She'll kill them all. Don't do this to me, to us!"

Struggling against the need to cry for a future she hadn't yet lived, Sailor Moon stared hard at her feet as she took a step back. She had to think about what Cosmos was saying. She tried, throwing herself at the mental wall as though it might cave under her, but as it had at the Cauldron, she remained fixated on one thought.

If she ended the war, that would be it. She'd never get married, hold her daughter, watch the children playing with her friends by her side, nothing. She didn't care about her crown or Crystal Tokyo; it was the people she couldn't imagine never seeing again.

"No." She shook her head. "No, I won't do it. Maybe what you're telling me is true, and all that awful stuff happens, but the fact you're here proves that I'll make this choice. You did it, once, so you must know why. Can you really give up all your years with our baby?"

"Chibiusa…" Cosmos whispered, resolve wavering. "My precious Small Lady…"

"I can't sacrifice my future, even if things go so terribly wrong. It's still my life, and I want to live it. The others would say the same thing. We've fought before; we can do it again."

"But everything that happens –" Her voice shook and broke.

"It's worth it." Sailor Moon straightened. "I won't destroy the Cauldron, and if you could you would have already. I want to go back."

It was Cosmos' turn to consider in pained silence, but finally she looked up and met Sailor Moon's eyes. "I think I remember a little better now. It's been so long since I was brave, I'd almost forgotten. In a way, you're more Sailor Cosmos like this than I am. I've fought for so long, always afraid, that I'd lost sight of what was really important. Thank you, Sailor Moon."

"So… I can go back? We all can?"

"I should have enough power in this time for that. Close your eyes."

Between life and death, all Sailor Moon could do was trust her future self. She had to believe the older Senshi wouldn't destroy the Cauldron somehow, would take her seriously and send them all home.

"LAMBDA POWER!"

Rainbow brilliance cascaded through the chamber, and then nothing.

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The park was filling with people at an alarming rate, and Sailor Moon was dashing between groups, searching for her friends. As best as she could tell, from what the newcomers were telling her, they were returning in the order that they'd died, so a truly terrible number had been killed for their crystals (and latent magical potential) before the plane had been hit and alerted the Senshi. Some of the arrivals were badly wounded, but she wasn't a healer, so all she could do was hope that Tuxedo Kamen would make an appearance before any of them died.

She felt him before she saw him, and the sheer power of their bond rebuilding itself was enough that she thought she was flying. She was off like a shot, blonde pigtails flying behind her as she made her way unerringly into his arms. For a long time, they clung to each other like they might never let go.

"You're here, you're alive, oh gods, I was so scared, I couldn't find you anywhere and it was awful," she babbled into the front of his jacket. She thought his jacket would tear if he tried to move away before she released her grip.

One of his hands wound into her hair, and he had a very similar thought. The other was pressed to the small of her back, holding her as close as he could. "I thought you were going to die because of me," he whispered. "That was the last thing I thought. I couldn't bear it."

Slowly, giving Tuxedo Kamen time to ease up so he didn't scalp her, she turned her face up so she could see him. "What even happened?!"

"That woman – Galaxia – she pulled the plane into some weird sub-dimension. Basically everyone had already died, except for one or two, so I slipped out and transformed. She said something like my being the master of Earth was so disappointing and killed me. I really don't know anything else."

Someone's shrieks of pain finally caught Sailor Moon's attention, and she reluctantly disentangled herself from Tuxedo Kamen. "I nearly forgot; we've got a lot of injured civilians. This is going to have to wait."

"I'll do what I can," he promised. "Just find Mercury and Zoisite for me so I'll have some help for any nasty cases."

Just like that, her mind was elsewhere. Sweet, delicate Mercury had been the next one to die, so she would likely appear at any time. That thought had barely formed when a petite body slammed into her, hugging her just as tightly as she had Tuxedo Kamen.

"Sailor Moon! You did it!"

"Mercury!" Seeing her was confirmation Cosmos had done what she said. It wouldn't just be her and Mamoru; they were all going to be okay. "Oh, Selene, you're alive!"

"Where's Zoisite? And the others?!"

"Coming, they're coming," the blonde assured her friend through fresh tears. "Everyone is going to be here soon. I thought I'd never see any of you again!"

"I always knew you had it in you. But did everyone else die? Were you alone?!"

"Not until the end, but Mercury, it was terrible! Oh, I've missed you!"

Tuxedo Kamen cleared his throat, but his crooked smile betrayed him. They knew he was just as happy everyone would be reunited as they were. "If you're feeling up to it, Mercury, I could use some help out here."

"O-of course. I'll be right there." She swiped uselessly at her own tears. "I just need a second, Tuxedo Kamen-sama."

"Oh, wait!" Sailor Moon cried. "Mercury-chan, Mars should be here soon, and she'll need you! Zoisite said you might be able to help her!"

"What's wrong with Mars?" Mercury demanded.

"It's a really long story, but basically her dad drugged her pretty bad and she went into battle that way. She died saving Zoisite."

"I don't… think I can fix that, Sailor Moon," the blue-haired girl protested.

"He said you could, since blood is mostly water. Please, won't you try?"

Mercury hesitated, still not sure it was even possible, but it stopped mattering when she saw Sailor Mars staggering their way, struggling to even stay on her feet. "Mars!"

It was immediately clear that the fiery Senshi needed whatever help they could offer, vision-sick and still dazed. Mercury stripped off her gloves and summoned her crystal, hoping the full force of her planetary magic would be enough. Biting her lip in concentration, she drew out the blue glow of her healing ability and ran it up and down Mars' arms. Each time she did, a bruise spread at the crook of her elbows, near the point the IV had entered her skin. Already bordering on exhaustion, Mercury made one more pass before using a thin icicle to gently make small incisions in both arms and draw out the drugs. Mars mercifully sank into unconsciousness.

"Is she going to be okay?" Sailor Moon asked worriedly.

"Yes, I think so," Mercury said. Her words were short and clipped, but she was deeply drained by using her powers in such an unfamiliar way. Tuxedo Kamen caught her arm when she lost her balance and helped her sit down more comfortably.

"I'll do what I can for the wounded," he said gently. "Rest as long as you need."

"People will be looking for us among the civilians if we've been missing," she observed. "We'll have to find time to power down and blend into the rest before the government gets here and starts organizing."

"I think they'll have a hard time making it through the paramedics," the blonde said, tilting her head toward the swarm of ambulances pulling up. "Someone must have called it in."

Tuxedo Kamen gave her a quick kiss and a smile. "I have to get back to work. Go find the others, okay? Make sure everyone's accounted for."

The search for the next returning warrior seemed to take forever, and not without reason. There had been a long stretch after they lost Mercury where the battles had been relatively quiet, so they hadn't had any deaths for a while. Finally, she stumbled upon Jupiter, and like the others the girls fell into each other's arms, laughing and crying at once. The moment was quickly dashed when Sailor Moon realized that finding Jupiter meant there would be three more in short order, one of whom had been badly injured.

"Find Jadeite!" she shrieked at her friend before touching her bond to her boyfriend and giving him the same order, adding in a hurry that he was hurt. She dashed through the park once more, looking for his bright hair among so many dark. When she almost literally stumbled into him, it took a good deal of self-control to keep from screaming.

She'd seen Galaxia's fake Mars torture him through the window, but it was nothing to what she found. The burns were raw and weeping blood, and some went so deep that the bone was visible beneath the smoky residue. He had already passed out by the time she reached him, likely from the shock, but his body convulsed from the pain.

Her mental panic summoned Tuxedo Kamen, and despite the mask anyone could see that he was both horrified and angry. Like Mercury had for Mars, he stripped off his gloves and set both hands to the worst burn, spiraling in hateful lines up his back and over his shoulder, leaving deep grooves in his chest. At his direction, Sailor Moon carefully realigned the broken bones in Jadeite's arms and legs, holding them in place long enough for his magic to do the rest.

Saturn and Pluto returned without either of them noticing, but the little Senshi of Death saw the broken body of their friend and came to help without being asked. "The wounds are not enough to kill him," she assured her worried princess as they labored. Her purple light spread over him like water, facilitating the regrowth of damaged muscles and blood vessels. She moved away a second later, nodding. "He will need a few days to recover his strength, but he will wake up within an hour. Tuxedo Kamen-sama, there are others who need our assistance."

Like his anger, a casual observer would say he was unwilling to leave the blond man, but after a moment's hesitation he stood. "Check on Mercury, if you can. She used a lot of energy to help Sailor Mars."

"Of course," Saturn agreed before plunging into the crowd.

The masked hero looked at Sailor Moon. "Can you stay with him?"

She wanted to find the rest of her girls, but she understood what he was going through and offered a supportive smile. "Sure. Just send the others my direction if you see them, okay?"

Someone shouted for help, and he hurried to deal with it. The Moon Senshi was left with nothing to do but to sit by the unconscious Jadeite's side, hoping for the others. That wish was granted in short order when Kunzite appeared, as worried and out of sorts as she'd ever seen him. Venus was in his arms, just as upset.

"Tuxedo Kamen," the general demanded. "Is he – alive?"

"You just missed him; he's out there somewhere. V-chan, are you okay?!"

The other blonde flew forward, throwing her arms around her princess. "I should be the one asking you that. I'm so sorry I left you alone!"

"It's okay! We're all going to be okay!"

Kunzite crouched by his comrade's side as they embraced. "Will he recover?"

"Saturn said he should wake up in an hour," Sailor Moon reported.

She was absolutely shocked when she was abruptly pulled from Venus' arms and into his. "Thank you," he whispered against her hair."

Smiling, a little teary-eyed, she patted his back. "I missed you." They wouldn't say anything else on the subject; it wasn't his way. She knew without asking that he was thanking her for more than Jadeite, or even their prince. He meant the war itself, all the lives she'd saved. "Where did you leave Nephrite?"

"Jupiter found him right after we got here. I don't think they've come up for air yet," Venus said wryly.

A bubble of laughter escaped despite Sailor Moon's best efforts. The leader of her guard quickly joined in as they began healing. They'd suffered something beyond endurance, but they pulled through, and the time had come to put the pieces back together. Kunzite hovered over them protectively, but they ignored it in favor of taking in all the things people took for granted when times were good. The sun was out; the ominous darkness that had plagued the city when Sailor Moon left was gone. The other girls drifted over to join them one at a time, until all five were in a tearful, laughing huddle.

Mars had to indulge in their shameless joy, but hers quickly faded when she took in Jadeite's condition. Even after Tuxedo Kamen and Saturn's hard work, the marks on his skin were slow to disappear, and the pinch of his lips said without words that he was still in pain as the healing progressed. It became so much worse when she realized the nature of his wounds.

"My magic did that," she said slowly.

The laughter came to a very sudden stop. Sailor Moon reached for her, uncertain, but the fiery Senshi shrugged it off as her anger mounted. "Mars, it wasn't you."

"Then it wasn't fire that nearly tore him apart," she spat. "You can pretty it up all you want, say that this 'Galaxia' character used a puppet that just looked like me, but this is Mars power. Don't lie to me and say it wasn't."

"Even if it's your power, that doesn't make it your fault," Jupiter contended. "If it had been my lightning, would you be blaming me?"

"No, of course not, but this was personal. She did this to him, used me to do this to him, knowing it was. This is my fault. If he hadn't lost me, he wouldn't have gotten hurt like this."

"Hey, now," he rasped. His eyes were still closed, and in the heat of the moment they hadn't even realized he was waking up until he spoke. "I knew it wasn't you, firebrand. You can't take responsibility for what a maniac did."

"It was cruel! I know it wasn't my fault, but it's still my magic that did this to you!"

"I went in knowing I'd be hurt. It didn't matter what sort of power did it."

Her head fell forward, hair falling around her face like a curtain. "Damn it, Jade, why? Why would you do something like that?"

Jadeite blinked a few times, turning a wan smile her way. "Because I love you, and I couldn't stand living without you. I knew she'd kill me for it, but it gave us answers we desperately needed. I won't regret it, and you shouldn't either. At least you were the last thing I saw." He tried to sit up, then spat several curses as his pain amplified tenfold.

Mercury hurriedly slid her arm under his back and helped him down again. "You can't do that until the wounds finish knitting, or you could open them again. Just stay still." To be safe, she gave him a quick dose of her power. It wasn't much, but it soothed his pain and let him rest.

"Sailor Moon!"

Her head shot up in a hurry. "Fighter! And Kaki-chan! You're all right!"

The black-haired warrior pulled her into a tight hug. "You did it!"

Kakyuu's uniform was torn in the back, and there was some blood, but it seemed like only part of the injury that killed her had reappeared when she did. Seeing the blonde check, the Fireball Princess smiled. "Healer was able to set me to rights in no time. She is seeing to the other wounded now, along with a few of your men."

"I don't know how long you can stay here," the Moon Senshi warned. "A lot of people saw the Three Lights become Senshi; they'll be looking for you soon."

"Of course. We will not linger for long, but I needed to tell you the good news." She beamed. "A number of my people were reborn, thanks to you. They are on Kinmoku, waiting."

The five Senshi were immediately shouting over each other, congratulating them. Sailor Moon pulled both Kakyuu and Fighter into their midst, and a group hug. "I'm so happy for you," she gushed. "You'll be able to go home and rebuild."

"As will you, it seems. Thank you, Sailor Moon. We owe you more than I could say. If you ever have need of us, just say the word and we will assist you in any way possible."

"You don't have to do that!" she protested.

"No, but I will. Now, let us see to all these people! Fighter, Maker, and I can help your law enforcement officers organize. I will see you again before we leave, however."

The two were quickly swallowed by the seething masses of people, but Sailor Moon couldn't get rid of her huge grin. "We did it. Sweet goddess, we did this! All these people!"

"Good job, kitten."

"URANUS! NEPTUNE!" She flung herself into Uranus' waiting arms and clung. "Oh, I don't even know what to say!"

"I'm sorry we had to keep that from you," Neptune said calmly.

"Who cares?!" the blonde demanded. "Guys, that was unbelievable. I can't believe you'd go so far for me. I really don't know how to thank you!"

Uranus flinched. "It wasn't something you should thank us for."

That was when she realized how much the sky Senshi had agonized over her decision. It wasn't in her nature to show her discomfort. "No, seriously, Uranus. Thanks. I don't think I'd be here if you hadn't done it."

"What?" Jupiter asked.

"It doesn't matter, really. I'm just glad we're all here."

Mercury studied the slowly organizing crowds before turning back to her comrades. "I think some of us need to change back and join in, so we can be registered as no longer missing. Who all should that be, Sailor Moon?"

"Oh, all of you but Uranus and Neptune, I think. I'll use the Silver Crystal to cover Jade as he does, since we can't move him yet. The rest of you should spread out. We three and the Starlights can talk to the press." She relayed the information to Tuxedo Kamen, who would tell the Shitennou and do the same.

The others nodded their acknowledgement, slipping into the hidden clearing to drop their powered forms and rejoining the crowd, giving their names to the officers in charge. It didn't take long for Rei's grandfather and Ami's mother to appear, pulling the girls close as though they would never let go. Zane's parents both came for him, and Jomei's mother was in tears when she physically shoved her way over to him and found him covered in still-healing wounds. It took Sailor Moon the better part of ten minutes to convince her he'd be perfectly fine. Neither of Minako's parents bothered to put in an appearance, but she put on a brave face and left with Keiji. Mamoru called Motoki, so the blond arcade owner brought his car and accompanied him home. The others had no family to call, or at least no one close, so they left in a group, until finally all that was left was the few nominated representatives and the wounded that hadn't yet been sent to the crowded hospitals.

It took a long time and a good deal of debate for any of the arriving reporters to move to the Senshi, but finally one, a relatively stoic young man from a local news station, did.

"You're Sailor Moon, right?"

She straightened up after she finished wrapping a blanket around one of the victims. "Yes. What do you want to know?"

"I think the question on everyone's mind is what happened here today."

The blonde bit her lip for a second, knowing the eyes of the world were on her. "Today we ended a war."

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AN: Oh my god we are DONE. I have successfully rewritten the ENTIRE 90S ANIME. What a ride! For those of you who stuck it out all these years, you have my deepest thanks. It hasn't been the smoothest going, what with real life persistently getting in the way, but this really feels like the end of an era.

Fortunately, it's not quite over. While I highly doubt I'll do so anytime soon, I intend to continue with this series. The plan, currently, is another three stories, hopefully not as long as these, but probably not skimpy little things either. These should address the events leading to Crystal Tokyo, the Black Moon arc from the other side of history, and Cosmos' journey. Of course, none of this is absolute, but I've been toying with them for ages, so we'll see.

As always, I'm dying to hear what everyone thinks, so please review and let me know. Till next time, I guess.