The Lights of Change - Epilogue
Written by: Minako Kou and Makoto Kou
Date Started: February 28, 2001
Date Finished: TBA
Inspirational Music: N/A



Makoto sat on the windowsill looking out the window wondering when Minako would get home. She looked down at a small brown crib holding two babies. She reached down stroking the babies heads. My beautiful babies. The older one was looking at her wide eyed and held out her arms for her mom. Mako picked her up. She paced back and forth in front of the window holding Salla. Salla resting her head on her mom's shoulder and yawning. Mako rocked her a little.
"Salla. My sweet Salla. I know that one day you'll grow up to be a very important person. And this time I'll be here to watch you become that person." Mako kissed her small daughter on her head. She looked down to the sleeping Kirei and smiled. "And so will you. And maybe this time you two will get along better..." Mako turned to look out the window again. She saw a car coming up the driveway. She smiled. Finally. Mina is home. Mako put the now again sleeping Salla back into the crib with her sister. She looked at them both one more time and left the room.
Mako ran downstairs and out the door with a big smile on her face. She rushed up to the car. Mina got out of the car and Mako gave her the biggest hug.
"I want to see them! Are they as beautiful as mine? Congratulations Minako!"
Minako smiled. 
"They are so perfect. And this time Mako, we will make sure they stay that way."  
Seiya got out of the car and went to open the back doors. Two tiny babies in two tiny car seats were sleeping. Makoto looked at them.
"Oh Mina, they are perfect. And I know we'll do a good job raising all of them."
Mina took the tiny Ai out of her seat and carried her into the house with Mako doing the same with Ashita, and Seiya carrying all the bags. Yaten came downstairs to see his new nieces. He smiled and gave Seiya a giant hug. 
"Congrats, Dad! Isn't it the most wonderful feeling?"
Seiya gave a quick smile. "Yeah, it is."
Later that night everyone showed up to congratulate Mina for having her babies. A small party with everyone giving Mina a gift. Mako gave her leather pants with a little tag saying: Soon you'll have your figure back, and you'll look great in these. ^_^ Seiya will prolly jump you if you're not careful. Love Mako. 
Minako smiled at all her friends and family sitting around her. Setsuna, Rei, Ami, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, Usagi, Mamoru, their son Tsuyoi, and now little Chibi-Usa, Tenshi, Taiki, Hina, Jeremy, Yaten, Seiya and Mako. She was so glad that they got everyone back. They always did. She thought maybe she shouldn't have worried so. They were all here. It was a very emotional day when they all returned home...

Sailor Moon lead the way through the void that was space and time.  No one could determine just how long it had taken them to get home... to some it seemed a mere few hours, while others perceived it as centuries passing them by. And all were exhausted when their trip was done, but none so near unconsciousness as their princess.
Usagi fell to her knees on the sidewalk where they had appeared. Everyone crowded around to try to get at least a finger in to help her. Finally it was Haruka who came up holding her in her arms. Everyone agreed that they should take her home to her and Mamoru's place.
"It might be somewhat upsetting when she first awakes... but in the end, she'll feel the most comfortable there," Haruka spoke softly while Usagi snored in her arms.
By the time they'd reached Usagi's apartment, she was awake again and talking.
"I want to go in on my own guys. I know how much you're all worried about me, but I have to deal with my memories and demons myself."
Mina leaned in to hug Usagi. "Don't think of them as demons, dear. They'll always be angels to you, no matter what, so your memories of them are not here to torture you, even if that's what happens. We're here for you, dear, call out if you need us."
Usagi let tear slide down her cheek as she stared into Mina's well-meaning face. "Yes dear, I know." She patted Mina's hand, then smiled at everyone, tears flowing freely, as she turned around to open the door, but what she saw caused everyone to gasp and step back.
Usagi choked on her tears and stared, wide-eyed for a moment too long, before rushing forward and grabbing every inch she could, afraid of a dream, afraid it might run away, and leave her all alone again. He would never leave her side again, never! Mamoru was here, in her arms and she couldn't believe it!
Tears flowed freely down her face and she clung and grabbed at him with all her might. "Mamo-chan! Is it really you?!?" She bawled.
"Yes Usa-ko. It's really me... why are you so upset?"
Usagi choked on her tears again. "Huh? You mean you... Mamo-chan, where do you think I've been all this time?"
Mamoru looked perplexed but answered anyway. "You wanted to give me and Tsuyoi some time to bond, while you took a break at your mother's, and prepared for Chibi-Usa's arrival."
Everyone stared at him dumbfounded. What had happened here?
"You mean, you don't remember anything about Kusso, and the Neo-Starlights, and our daughters??" Usagi asked looking somewhat perplexed and somewhat relieved at the same time.
Mamoru stared at her blankly. Everyone's jaws dropped.  A long silence followed and no one could even think of what to say, until finally a giggle came from somewhere behind Mamoru. Mamoru could hold it in no longer, a smile cracked the blank expression of his face and he started laughing.
"Yes, of course I remember, dear!" He hugged Usagi and both of them began to cry.
At this point the door fell open further to reveal every friend they'd thought dead standing inside the apartment just behind Mamoru. Everyone began crying and hugging each other and asking questions all at once. But it was the person first attempted to answer their questions who shocked them the most.
"Quiet now! I'll answer everything soon enough. Come in a have a seat and some tea."
Usagi stopped her tears and looked up at Mamoru imploringly when she heard the soft lilt of that reprimanding voice. He just smiled down at her, and stepped to the side a little, to allow her to view completely in to the apartment.
"Cosmos?!" Usagi nearly fainted once again.
"Bring her inside already Mamoru! How would it look to your neighbors to have your pregnant wife fainted away at your doorstep?" Cosmos spoke with a smile and winked at Usagi.
Everyone made their way in to the nicely sized flat. As accommodating as it was for the young couple with a child and another on the way, the large party was cramped in the living room, and most had taken to sitting on the floor. They'd long since run out of tea cups and many were drinking their hot tea out of tall deep bowls. These soon ran out too, and shallow bowls had to do.
Finally after everyone was situated and silent for a full five minutes, Cosmos began to speak.
"I'm sure you're all wondering how you all survived... especially after having seen your loved ones dies before your very eyes. Well, I'll be honest with you, there's no direct and final way to answer all that. It's very complicated, and to figure it all out, not to mention explaining it to you, would take twenty years of my life.
"As far as I can tell what happened is, the fact that we were in a different time, coupled with the past proven effects of the Silver Imperium Crystal, Neo-Queen Selenity's doubled presence, and mine and Pluto's abilities to affect time, a sort of warp of time-space occurred. This allowed for the dead to continue living in our own time line, and not blow our universe apart. Essentially, if you were to draw our time as a line, continuing on to the future we beheld of Crystal Tokyo, and then represent the time we're living in now, it would look like this:
                                  
__________________________
                            \___________________________ 

(drawn in the air by Cosmos' hand)

"With our previous time being the top line, and our present time being the bottom as it split off, because of our own actions. For us things will seem a lot different from what we saw. But for that future we saw, nothing has changed, except for the fact that now Kusso, the grown up Neo-Starlights and New Moon Senshi, and Sailor Cosmos are all dead."
A chorus of outcries erupted from the group, all confused over the last thing she said.
"Wait, wait!" Sailor Cosmos held up her hands in protest. "I'm not the Sailor Cosmos of the Future, with whom you traveled to the future and fought along side. I'm the Sailor Cosmos of the Present. I was never there, and I never will be there. But I have her memories, as part of this weird warping effect."
Everyone sat in silence a moment to ponder this. Finally it was Seiya who spoke up. "So does this mean there's the possibility of our children one day remembering what happened?"
Cosmos thought a moment before speaking. "I cannot say for sure. There's always the possibility, for those children that were already conceived. I'd say there's not much of one for those children still yet to be conceived, just because there's was no doubling effect of their bodies."
"What'll we do if they remember?" Makoto asked worried, remembering what had happened to her own children.
"I can't tell you that. You're a parent, you'll know when the time comes. Just love and cherish those children every moment you're with them."
"What about the Kusso of this time line?" Taiki asked.
It was Mamoru who answered. "Already taken care of. He had to place himself in a stasis-like chamber in order to survive from the Silver Millenium all the way into Crystal Tokyo. When we found him he was a weak frail old man who didn't even know we were there. Cosmos thinks he must have made himself younger with the power he was taking from the Silver Imperium Crystal and the New Moon Senshi. We just simply 'pulled the plug' and left."
Usagi gasped. Mamoru looked at her with sympathy in his eyes and spoke again. "We knew you wouldn't want to do it; that's why we did it before you came back. Usa-ko, I'm sorry, but if he'd been allowed to live, he would have done it all over again. Just the thought of  seeing you and all our loved ones dying again," Mamoru shook his head and clenched his fist, "I couldn't let it happen again!"
Usagi, crying, hugged him tightly and whispered to him that she understood.

(End flashback - happy, warm, snuggly, make you feel good moment, and fade to black ^_~)
 	
	"Earth to Mina, Earth to Mina." Makoto waved her hand in Mina's face. "Hey! Welcome back! Get any good postcards from Venus??" 
Mina sighed and softly smiled. "That's not the place I was thinking about..."
Mako looked down. "Yea, we all think about that. But you know, I think everything is going to be all right."
Mina smiled again. "Yea, I know." She looked toward the direction of the bedroom. 
Mina stared at Mako. Mako thinking the same thing. But Mako said it first. "Our children are alive. Our friends are alive. Our family is still alive, honestly, they never left us."
They smiled at each other. They knew that everything they had done and fought for was for a future they wanted to exist. Mina looked around the room, everyone's smiling faces, so full of hope and love were there forever. She knew everything was going to be all right.