Typical Header Stuff: Even though most of these give you about as much coverage as a g-string on a stripper, I'm going to play it safe and include it anyway... Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all characters contained within this work are the copyright of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Kodansya, DiC, and probably lots of other big people I'm forgetting. I am using them without permission, but suing me because of it would be futile as I have nothing. Also Certain characters mentioned in the prologue are the copyrighted property of John De Chance. Any characters that are not copyrighted by other people are my own creation, and therefore copyrighted by myself... which means that if for some REALLY weird reason you decided you wanted to use them, (and why would you decide that?!?!?!?) you need to write me for permission. Comments, Criticisms, and flames welcome... Starrngr@aol.com However, due to a large amount of spam I have received in the past, I have blocked off mail from some domains. Sorry if your one of them. And don't expect me to reply to mail that's nothing but Flames! See the Character Bio for information on key people to this Fic.... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Wanderer: Wandering Moon: Epilogue: Closing the Circle. Greatly relieved, the other scouts and Tuxedo Mask gathered around the spot where the golden bubble landed. As the bubble vanished, Princess Serena gave her friends a wan smile, then began to collapse. Tuxedo Mask quickly scooped the fainting moon princess up in his arms even as she reverted to all the way back to Serena Tsukino. "Is she..." Jupiter's question trailed off, afraid of the answer. "No, she is just worn out." Mercury replied as she scanned her friend, setting the scouts fears to rest. "A good night's rest and she'll be her normal self again." "Well, she has certainly earned it," Luna noted, jumping up onto Tuxedo Mask's shoulder. "Just when I'm convinced she will never take things seriously she goes and proves she really is her mothers daughter. Tuxedo Mask will get us home and get her into bed, won't you?" Tuxedo Mask nodded at that comment, and carried the sleeping Serena away into the night, to home and bed. "Where's Patricia?" Star Ranger asked, suddenly panicked, as he looked around. "Right here, Star Ranger," Mercury replied from where she had knelt next to the unconscious teacher, almost directly behind him. "She's fainted, but is otherwise all right." "What do we do with _HIM_?" Mars asked, indicating the still unconscious Cabelite. "Leave him here," Star Ranger replied as he gently picked Patricia Haruna up and carried her over to Fred's passenger door. "I'll take care of him." "Well then, Kemo Sabe, looks like our work here is done," declared Venus as she picked up Artemis. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of her pungent pet. "Whew... Soon as we get home, its into the bath with you!" "Aww, do I have to?" complained Artemis. "If you ever want to set foot in the house again you do," assured Venus. "It wont be so bad Artemis. I'll tell you what, though. I'll borrow mom's hair dryer so you don't have to go to bed wet." "OK," the cat agreed, before the impact of what Venus said sunk in. "Hair dryer??? WAIT!!! Lemme go!! Help!!! Nooooo..." Artemis' voice trailed off into the darkness as Venus firmly held on to a panicked Artemis by the scruff of his neck and took off over the rooftops. Star Ranger assumed his normal form once more as Patricia began to stir in the front seat of FRED. "Looks like she is coming around," he noted. "So, its probably time for you girls to go too. Especially if they decide to have school tomorrow." The three remaining scouts nodded in agreement and took off across the rooftops themselves, and Micheal turned back to check on Patricia, who sounded panicked in her half conscious state. "Shhh..." he consoled her, brushing her cheek and forehead with soft fingertips. Suddenly, her eyes popped open. She looked at Micheal for a long moment with a gaze of shock and amazement before suddenly wrapping him up in a tight hug and sobbing with joy on his shoulder. Micheal simply held her until the sobs stopped. "You're all right!" she observed breathlessly after a long moment, pulling back to gaze deeply into his eyes. "You're really all right! When that warehouse exploded I thought you were dead!" "As far as the world is concerned, he is," spoke a soft voice from behind them. Micheal twirled at this interruption, at first taking up a fighting stance but then relaxing as he took in the newcomer's appearance. The stranger was dressed in a fuku identical to the ones worn by the Sailor Scouts save for the colors. Her boots, skirt, collar and trim were black, while the bow on the front was a deep burgundy. She was also clearly older and more mature than the other scouts they had met, with the body of a young woman rather than that of a teen. Her long black hair had deep green highlights to it and her eyes were the same shade as the bow on her fuku, and she carried a staff that reminded Micheal of a very large key. "I don't believe we've been introduced," Michael observed in a calculatedly neutral tone. "I have many names. However, the only one of importance here is 'Para-Dr'." Micheal nodded his head in recognition of the name, the name of the person who had sent him critical information, and who he had come to assume was that of the person who had brought him here. "Then I have accomplished what you brought me here to do?" The fuku clad woman smiled gently and nodded in affirmation. "But what if I don't want to go?" "There are things that must happen in the future," she replied. "Things which you have no part in, and other things which you must do alone." "Couldn't he stay if he promised not to interfere?" Patricia asked plaintively, wrapping her arms around Micheal from behind and resting her head on his shoulder. The stranger smiled softly and slowly shook her head. "He could no more keep from interfering in that which is to come than you could give up teaching. It's one of the things that draws you to him, even if you didn't know that." "Then I am doomed to be alone for the rest of my life," Patricia sobbed, burying her head in Micheal's shoulder. "Perhaps not," the stranger noted. "But it will be five years before he can return. Are you willing to wait that long?" "For Micheal, I would wait until the end of my days," Patricia declared firmly, lifting her head from Micheal's shoulder to gaze steadily at the stranger, who nodded in agreement. "Very well. Tomorrow he must leave, and when the things that must happen have been accomplished, he can return, but not before," the stranger declared, tapping the ground with her staff, and the sound of a deep muted bell filled the air. The stranger then turned her attention away from the pair and walked over to where Cabelite lay moaning, about to awaken. Micheal quietly but firmly separated himself from Patricia and began to root about in FRED's back seat. "What are you going to do with him?" Patricia asked of the stranger as the stranger effortlessly picked up Cabelite and draped him over her shoulders in a 'fireman's carry'. "I will return him to right after the point in time where he left with Tinkerer," the stranger replied. "His mistress will take care of the rest." "Then it sounds like you are the one I should give this to," Micheal noted, climbing back out of FRED with a device the size and shape of an ostrich egg made of stainless steel. He tossed the message beacon to the stranger who nodded and did something with her hands and the device vanished into thin air. "You know what to do with it?" he asked, and the fuku clad stranger nodded in agreement. "Until we meet again," the stranger said by way of farewell. Her outline blurred, and she vanished before the pair's eyes. In the distance a siren could be heard approaching. Michael and Patricia took that as a hint and climbed into FRED and drove off into the night. "Micheal," Patricia asked softy, sliding up next to him on the front seat, "Would you stay with me tonight?" "BWAAA?!?!?!?!?" Micheal stuttered in shock and swerved wildly onto the sidewalk, nearly hitting a lamp post before FRED took over the driving and got them safely back into the traffic lanes. "I didn't mean _THAT_, Baka," Patricia teased, playfully slapping him on the shoulder. "But it is going to be a long time before I see you again, and I'd like to be held until you have to go." Micheal blushed, and realizing FRED was driving, looped his arm around Patricia and drew her close. "Yes, I think I would like that," he decided aloud. * * * * * * * * * The next afternoon, five slightly confused girls gathered in a back room at the Cherry Hill Temple. "Why couldn't they have canceled school today too?" sighed Serena as she rested her head on folded arms. "I'm still tired from last night." "I'm more interested in the fact that neither Thunders nor Haruna-sensei were at school today. Melvin the mouth claims Haruna-sensei called in sick this morning," Lita noted to Mina. "Say, you don't suppose they... " the blonde suddenly trailed off and started blushing furiously at what she had been about to say. "They are both consenting adults, so it wouldn't be any of our business if they had," Amy noted, looking up from her textbook. Her face took on a more sorrowful look and she looked back down at the open book as she continued. "But that's not what I learned. I was worried myself, so I did some checking while I was at computer class today. According to police reports, Thunders-Sensei is listed as having been killed in the explosion." Serena's head snapped up at that, and she looked at her friend in horror. Next to her, the teapot made a heavy clank as Raye dropped it in confusion. "But that's not possible. We KNOW he was OK, We _SAW_ him!" Protested Raye, vehemently shaking her head in denial. "Indeed, reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated, but necessary," a new voice interrupted from the doorway. "Thunders-SENSEI!!" Serena shouted happily, jumping up and hugging him so quickly one might almost think she teleported over to him. "Your all right!! But why do the police think you are dead?" "It will be better this way. I have to leave, and this way there are no loose ends. Its a 'Tonto, our work here is done' sort of thing," Micheal replied gently. "WHY?" Raye demanded angrily from where she sat. "I met the person who brought me here last night after you girls left," Micheal sighed. "She told me I must. There are still challenges you girls must face, and I am not part of them." "What about Haruna-sensei?" Lita asked with tears in her eyes. Micheal smiled. "I suppose I can give you that much of a clue. Just think of me as Ahhhnold, cause," and he then dropped into a horrible Austrian accent, "I'll be back." He was then swarmed by a gaggle of giggles as the girls crowded around for a goodbye hug. * * * * * * * * * * (Five years later...) Patricia Haruna looked down at Micheal's picture, and a single tear of despair slipped down her check. Behind her, a radio softly played Bryan Adams "Everything I do" in English. 'I miss you so much, my love. Its been so long, and I fear that something has happened to keep you from me. Will you ever return?' She gently set the picture down and picked up the invitation that lay next to it., the invitation that had triggered this bout of melancholy. "You are cordially invited to the Wedding of Serena Tsukino and Darien Chiba", it read. Whenever she picked it up, this happened, her mixed feelings of happiness for a former student and sorrow in wondering when her joy of life would return. Sighing, she set the invitation back down on her dressing table and eyed herself critically. Her hair still retained its vibrant color, with no need of dyes, save for the occasional gray hair, but those were few and far between. The time spent at the health club had paid the most dividends, for she retained her trim figure, with only a bit more fullness at hip and bust revealing her slightly more advanced age. Her skin was still fair and soft, with only a handful of faint laugh and frown lines to betray the passage of time. 'I know he'll be able to remember me when he returns," she decided. 'I hope I will be able to recognize him when that happens.' Any further thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her doorbell. Suppressing a momentary flash of irritation at having her reverie broken, she slipped on a robe over her chemise and went to answer the door. A check through the peephole showed a delivery person, carrying a bouquet of roses and wearing a black trenchcoat and a dirty faded red and beige cap pulled down to cover the upper part of his face. Patricia debated with herself for a moment before calling through the door. "Yes? What is it?" she asked. "Flower delivery for a Ms. Haruna," the delivery person replied. Patricia shook her head in amazement at how Japanese could be spoken with such a thick Cockney accent but still be understandable. 'Must be some out of work actor,' she decided, and opened the door. "I am she," she said, taking the bouquet. "Who is it from?" "Doesn't say, miss, but there is a card," the delivery person replied. Patricia gave the delivery person a look of indecision. "Wait right here," she decided. "I'll be right back." She then closed the door and walked over to her purse, taking the card from the bouquet as she did. Setting the flowers down, she opened the card and gasped. "Patricia, Will you marry me? Micheal." The card read. Patricia dropped the card and ran back to the door and flung it open. Kneeling there was the delivery person, his hat pushed back to reveal Micheal's familiar face. He too had changed, but not significantly. His skin now carried a deep tan, while faint lines around his eyes gave him a more mature appearance. He was down on one knee, and was holding out a small box covered in black velvet. The box was open to reveal a ring adorned with an eight pointed star, chips of ruby and emerald alternating at each point and a glittering diamond in the center. Patricia stood speechless for a long moment, tears of joy running freely down her cheeks, her hands clasped together over her heart. "Oh, Micheal!" she finally exclaimed, her breath still ragged. She reached out and drew him up to her and into a tight hug, her heart spilling over with joy. "Yes," she whispered gently into his ear as she held him tight, her voice still choked with emotion. "Yes, I will marry you." Micheal's only response was to free one arm long enough to gently shut the door behind them. John 3;16: "It is Finished" ------------ Whew... Well, that's the end of this story. And I will say it was a long strange trip for me writing it. I even had a bit of trouble here at the end, not of writers block, but of mixed emotions as I wrote this. I found myself unable to concentrate from a mix of excitement and... Well... dread. In some ways I didn't want this story to end, since writing it has been a major part of my life for the last 6? 9? Months or so. Still, all good things must come to an end, and its time to close the book on this one... For now anyway. OK, OK... I admit, this is not the end of the tales of the Wanderer in general, just this one. If your interested in finding out more about the Wanderer, stop by my web-site from time to time: HTTP://hometown.aol.com/Starrngr/index.htm or keep an eye open on the Fan Fiction Mailing List at Fanfic.Com. I'll post other stories in both those places, covering both events that happen during their five year separation, and perhaps even events later in their life. Until the next time then, Ja Ne!!! Star Ranger, Starrngr@aol.com.