[SM][FanFic] Tales of the Wanderer 1: Wandering Moon, Epilogue
Star Ranger
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... Star...@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....
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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"
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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://rangerHQ.50megs.com/
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, Star...@aol.com.