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by Dark Amethyst
Epilogue
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I don�t know how much later, I wake up with Naru-chan still cradled in my arms. She�s blinking, coming awake too, slowly. She focuses on my face, then reaches her arms up to pull me close, gratefully.
�Where is everyone?� she wonders in a moment, looking about her at the empty room.
�Kunzite and Zoicite, I think, chose to forget,� I tell her. �To start over. But I imagine wherever they are�or will be�they�re together. It�s what saved them � they saved each other. As Moon saved Endymion. As you saved me.�
Naru smiles sadly and turns herself in my arms, cuddling in, her head on my chest.
�And the others?�
�I don�t know,� I admit.
And it�s true � of Jadeite I have no idea�where he�s gone, what he chose. As for Rachael � all I have are hopes�that she has gone home. For in those last few seconds, I forced her grip from mine and dropped her hand. There was no other way. And no time for thanks or farewells. The only hope for her a fresh start � the life she had before I destroyed it. I pray she�s gone to that � with not a recollection of me. And perhaps, one day, I can forgive myself for what I did to her�
�Won�t you miss them?� Naru asks.
�I will,� I sigh, resting my chin on the top of her head. �But they�re free now. That�s all I ever wanted.�
She�s quiet in my arms, and I pull her up into a tighter embrace, moving my face alongside hers, pressing her soft cheek against mine.
�Although,� I add quietly, my mouth close to her ear, feeling her tense expectantly in my arms. �There�s one thing that I still want. Do you know what that is?�
�No,� she answers nervously, blushing so that I�m ashamed of my attempt at levity.
�A chocolate parfait,� I whisper, smiling, but expecting anger now�or at least disappointment.
But she merely laughs, blushing more deeply at her own thoughts.
She sighs, stifling another giggle, resting her head on my shoulder relievedly. �Is everything really going to be all right now?�
�I hope it is,� I tell her�the only thing I can tell her. �I hope it will be.�
= = = R = = =
It�s overcast as usual as I make my way home from class. The wind rustles the leaves fitfully and the night air has a sharp cold tang. I draw in a breath savouringly as I come to the brow of the hill, stopping a moment near the empty park bench�looking down to the dark sea. A queer feeling of d�j� vu rushes over me, and I stand puzzling a moment, trying to decipher it.
Of course it feels familiar, I tell myself. I come by here every other night!
But it doesn�t feel�familiar. It feels�like something�s wrong�missing.
The wind whips up more insistently and a cold drizzle starts. I shake the odd feeling off and walk away, putting up my umbrella.
I cross the street and head towards home. As I near my block, I notice that same gorgeous red car, parked near my door. I�ve seen it a few times now, here and there. I wonder whose it is?
I try to act nonchalant as I walk closer. As I come abreast, I�m about to duck my head to get a look at the driver, but the car pulls away � off with a roar into the night. I stare after it a moment, then shrug.
If he�s a stalker, he�s a rich one. You could do worse, Rachael.
I grin as I turn the key in the lock, but the grin doesn�t last until the elevator.
I make a little dinner, correct my papers, then climb into bed with a book � all as usual�as empty as usual�but I�m feeling�slightly worse. As if�I�d lost something I once had.
In the morning, I�m too busy to be morose, hurrying to class as usual. When I get to the lecture hall, the prof is late � also as usual, so I pull out a book to catch up on some reading. A soft voice from my right interrupts me.
�Excuse me.�
I�m drawn to the sound�a low quiet voice, a seductive tone that somehow commands and cajoles simultaneously.
I turn to the desk beside me to stare somewhat drop-jawed into deliciously deep blue eyes�attractively obscured beneath spikes of blonde.
He�s staring back at me unabashedly, and raises an eyebrow in confused inquiry.
�Have we met?�
I shake my head. I would remember. To say the least.
Yet�I�m overcome once again with that peculiar recognition�that frustrating sense that my heart knows something my brain does not remember.
After a few moments of frowning concentration, he lets the matter pass and smiles at me with devastating charm.
�I�ve just joined this class. Would you mind if I borrowed your notes?�
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