A NEW SONG
-by: the Yarnspinner-
the_yarnspinner@yahoo.com
A Sekkushiaru Roman
featuring characters from the anime "Sailor Moon"
Rated: H

> Chapter 6 - New Beginning <

     Darien awoke, feeling like he had just had a very weird dream.
Something to do with pretty young female superheroes fighting monsters
who were trying to take over the universe. 'Sounds like something from a
magical girl anime,' he told himself. 'And I don't even care much for
those.'
     His efforts to laugh it off were not entirely successful. As he
looked around his bedroom, everything seemed in order, but inside himself
he felt a distinct sense of loss. Something was supposed to be there, but
wasn't. It made no sense. He was an orphan with no memory of his past.
He'd already lost everything that he had to lose.
     Getting out of bed, he switched on the television. The news was
reporting on the previous night's blackout. A freak occurrence had
briefly shut down the power grid for the entire city, blacking out all of
Tokyo. Earlier reports that the blackout was nationwide, and of similar
disturbances all around the world were unfounded. Some suggested the
blackout was linked to a brilliant display of aurora borealis seen later
that night. The report indicated that scientists in Japan and elsewhere
were skeptical of this theory, although utility officials did say they
were taking the possibility of some type of magnetic interference
seriously, promising to implement preventive measures as soon as
possible.
     "Magnetic interference?" Darien wondered aloud. "Sounds more like
'cover your butt' to me."
     As he prepared himself some breakfast, he continued to be haunted by
the feeling that something was missing. He recalled having similar vague
flashes of intuition before. At the orphanage, a few of the other
children had suggested he was psychic. Nothing had ever come of it. In
those cases, however, it had mostly been strange dreams, like the one
he'd just had. Also like this one, he had never been able to remember
much of those dreams. Once again, he wondered if perhaps some memory of
his past was finally trying to surface.
- - - - - - - - - -
     It was just over a week later when a sonic boom crashed over the
city, followed by an explosion, both of which shook the ground and
buildings.
     Darien rolled out of bed and took cover under the door frame until
the tremor stopped. "That certainly was no earthquake," he said aloud. He
pulled on some sweatpants and a t-shirt and headed up to the roof. There,
he found two of his neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Takeshita. Mr. Takeshita was
an amateur stargazer, although the glare of the city frequently made it
difficult to see any stars.
     "Mr. Chiba! Come to see the excitement?" Mr. Takeshita asked.
     "Yes. What happened?" Darien could see a pillar of smoke rising
several blocks away.
     "It was a meteor," Mrs. Takeshita said.
     "At first glance, I thought it was pretty big," Mr. Takeshita said.
"Over two meters across."
     "Two meters? But something that big..."
     "Yes. Would have flattened a large portion of the city with the
force of its impact," Mr. Takeshita finished for him. "The explosion we
saw over by the mall had to have come from something much smaller...
unless it was slowing down and made a partially controlled landing."
     Darien looked curiously at the older man.
     "Sam reads too much science fiction, Mr. Chiba," Mrs. Takeshita
said.
     Nodding, Darien looked back in the direction of where the object had
hit. He felt a strange urge to do something, but couldn't imagine what.
This was something well outside of his expertise.
- - - - - - - - - -
     "Guess you don't mind having a meatball body to go along with that
meatball head of yours, hunh?"
     "It's not your business!"
     "I guess you're right, so go pig!"
     "As if!" Serena sputtered, marching away in a huff.
     She had come out to see the crater the meteor had left in the mall
parking lot, when this older boy, Darien, had come up behind her and made
fun of her interest in a candy store advertisement. During the exchange,
she had found her heart beating wildly, and now, in a storm of emotion,
she stalked away.
     'He is *so* rude,' she thought.
     A part of her noticed, however, that he really was quite good
looking, and her heart was still pounding. 'No *way* I am attracted to
such a big zero!' she angrily told herself.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Darien's eyes lingered on the girl with the long blond pigtails as
she stormed away from him.
     'What was that all about?' he wondered. 'That was harsh, even for
me.' It had started off as just a minor verbal jab at a junior high
school girl he vaguely recognized as one of the crowd of young female
admirers his friend Andrew seemed to attract, but quickly swelled until
he had actually been downright insulting to her.
     When she had turned to face him, the fire in those big blue eyes and
the flush of her face had done something to him. Suddenly, he had felt a
tightness in his chest, and his heart had started pounding. Emotions
flared within him, growing stronger by the second. Her initial response
had drawn a stronger comment from him, progressing until she had marched
away in anger.
     As she left, he once more experienced that strange feeling of loss.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Darien sat on his couch, reading a textbook, when a wave of
dizziness swept over him. A voice seemed to pop into his head, so faintly
that he could hardly be sure of it. 'No! No more fighting!' it seemed to
say.
     "What was that?" he wondered aloud, rubbing his temple.
     As he tried to turn his attention back to his reading, he found
himself incredibly tense. He had a vague sensation of alarm. It was like
his mind was trying to send him a message and he didn't know even how to
listen for it.
     Finally, unable to put it aside, he stood up and walked out onto his
balcony, breathing in the cool night air. The feeling was still there.
Like with the meteor, he felt an urge to do something. But what?
- - - - - - - - - -
     Sailor Moon breathed a long sigh. Luna had restored her memory, or
more accurately, had started her to remember. The fighting moves, and how
much Serena disliked it, had come back readily enough, particularly with
a yucky plant-monster wanting to turn her into its latest meal as
incentive. The rest of it was still a jumble. Serena recalled parts of
the final battle with Beryl, and that there were other Senshi who had
sacrificed themselves for her. She remembered a figure in a tuxedo, and
that she had had strong feelings for him. All of this, in conflict with
what she thought she knew of the past several months, made her brain feel
like Luna had just tossed it in the mixer.
     "It's so confusing, Luna," she muttered. "So many pieces that just
don't seem to fit."
     "I'm sorry about that, Serena. I haven't used the lunar mind-meld in
a very long time, and rarely for something like this," Luna said. "I
didn't even remember I had the ability until fairly recently. But don't
worry. Your brain is still trying to put everything together. It will get
clearer soon. Probably by tomorrow morning everything will be fine."
     "Yeah," she sighed, thinking of the briefly enjoyed normal life she
had just lost again.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Serena awoke with a song of love and joy playing in her heart. Her
dreams had recounted her love for Darien, both in the present and in the
time of the Silver Millennium, and had included a mixture of several
passionate get-togethers. Still a relatively young girl, she blushed at
the memory of such behavior on her part, but felt the warm happiness
spreading through her at the knowledge that her true love was out there
waiting for her.
     As she hurried into the bathroom, she eagerly anticipated the coming
reunion with Darien. Since the other Senshi had not yet been revived
there would be no meetings to worry about, and since Serena was certain
she could escape from Luna for a while, it should be no problem to
arrange several hours where they could be alone to really do their
reunion right. She couldn't wait.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Darien hurried down the street, leaving two girls behind him. This
was one time he was particularly glad to be in a hurry to get to work.
One of the girls was the cute blond he had seen in the mall parking lot,
while the other one he didn't know.
     The blond girl had appeared out of nowhere, latching on to him and
seeming to act like they knew each other quite well. "Miss me, big guy?"
she had asked, snuggling affectionately against his arm. And only a few
days earlier, she'd been ready to chew his head off. Which he probably
deserved.
     "Whoa!  You scared me there!" he had said, while trying to figure
out a way to extricate himself without making a scene.
     "Oh Darien, you don't have to be that way around me," she had almost
purred.
     "Oh, how come you know my name, but I don't know yours?" he had
asked. Only "meatball head" had come to mind, and he was pretty sure she
wouldn't appreciate it.
     "OK, if you want to be that way, my name is Serena and you and I
were meant to be together," she said.
      "This girl is a total wacko," he had exclaimed, but had noticed the
complete sincerity in her face, and
the look of hurt that appeared when it was clear he didn't know what she
was talking about.
     He'd had a moment to realize that it felt surprisingly nice to have
her close to him, and that she really was quite attractive with those
large blue eyes staring up at him. The hurt that flickered across her
face clawed strangely at his heart. His reflections on this, and what
could possibly have caused her to suddenly latch on to him that way, had
been interrupted by the shout of another girl from across the street, who
came dashing toward him.
     "Whoa! Another wacky girl!" He quickly pulled himself away,
muttering that he had to get to work. Andrew seemed not to mind having
hordes of young female admirers, but it was definitely not something
Darien cared for.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Serena walked aimlessly. It had never occurred to her, until she saw
the puzzled expression on Darien's face, that he wouldn't remember. She
had even tried reaching for the glow within her. It was there, but didn't
respond. Darien must not remember even about that.
     Her heart ached. Darien was there, but yet he wasn't. When she saw
those stormcloud gray eyes, her emotions swelled within her as she longed
to throw herself into his arms and kiss him deeply. But his eyes seemed
to hold nothing more than mild amusement or curiosity when he looked at
her.
     It was as if, for him, everything had started completely fresh, a
new beginning. Tears came to her eyes at the thought that this time, he
might not feel the same way about her.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Serena wandered the hallways of a movie studio, trying to find the
exit in the maze-like building. She had come with Molly who had been
invited for an audition, but guests weren't allowed into the audition
room. Serena had been delighted to see Ami, Lita, Mina, and Rei, who had
also been called, but felt renewed disappointment that none of them truly
recognized her. Next, she had bumped into Ann, the new girl who was going
after Darien. Just then, a man had rushed by them, his arms full of
boxes.
     "Sorry, girls. I'm in a major hurry," he had said.
     Instantly, both girls recognized that it was Darien's voice and
raced off after him.
     Serena couldn't find Darien, and had lost Ann. 'She better not have
caught up with him,' Serena thought.
     Meanwhile, the audition proved to be a trap, with the other girls
being attacked by a cardian, Minotaur. Rei and Lita put up a good fight,
but the cardian's strength began to tell. Watching it all, and seeing the
girls slowed by the unconscious Molly, Luna had just decided she had no
choice but to restore the memories of the other Senshi when Serena found
her way into the room.
     At Luna's urging, Serena transformed into Sailor Moon and confronted
the cardian, but was quickly thrown off balance by the cardian's attack.
     "Poor girl," said Lita.
     "This seems so familiar to me, but I don't know why," Mina said.
     "Relax, bonehead. I'll make you normal again," Sailor Moon told the
cardian.
     She instinctively raised her hand to summon the crescent moon wand,
only to find that she no longer had it. Her shocked reaction gave
Minotaur an opening, as the cardian caught Sailor Moon on her horns. 
     "This is nuts! Why are we standing here? We gotta help her beat this
thing!" Rei declared, then realizing what she'd just said, wondered
"Hunh? What am I talking about?"
     Luna raced to the girls. "Quick, you girls have to help Sailor
Moon," she told them. Facing their stunned reactions, Luna employed the
lunar mind-meld to restore their memories. 
     "Queen Beryl and the Negaverse! We fought her alongside Sailor
Moon," said Rei.
     "No, Princess Serenity. I remember," Mina said.
     "We're all warriors sworn to protect her," Lita recalled.
     "Right! So let's get to it, hunh," Ami said.
     They immediately began their transformations, and with an excellent
display of teamwork, quickly freed Sailor Moon and destroyed the cardian.
     "Sailors, savor your victory," an alien standing atop a set-piece
column told them.
     "It won't last," his companion added, before they both teleported
away.
     "Hi, guys!" Sailor Moon said to the other Senshi, a bright smile on
her face.
     "Hey, bet you're glad we're back, to save your butt, hunh Sailor
Moon?" Mars asked.
     "It's good to be back," said Jupiter.
     After seeing Molly home, they all gathered at the Hickawa Temple,
just like old times. Serena felt happy. She had her friends back, and now
it could only be a matter of time before she had Darien back as well.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Two nights later, Darien awoke, gasping for breath. He had just had
an incredibly intense dream. He had brought Serena to his apartment, and
found himself burning up with desire for her. As he had kissed her long
and hard, it became clear that she was not going to say no. On the
contrary, her desire had proven as strong as his own. He had unfastened
her dress and let it drop to the floor, revealing an exquisite young
body. As she gasped and sighed with delight, he had pleasured her with
his hands and mouth to orgasm. They had moved into his bedroom where,
without any sort of protection, she had willingly impaled herself on his
manhood, giving up her virginity and letting his seed pour into her.
     He sat up, trying to slow his breathing. What was happening? Sure,
Serena was remarkably attractive, when she wasn't klutzing out or going
through one of her sudden adolescent mood swings, but she was also much
too young. Darien had no intention of being a child molester. Yet he had
to admit, she probably did have a fantastic body, and his dream had
portrayed her as an outstanding lover. A part of himself was insisting
that the reality had to be at least as good as the dream.
     This clearly complicated matters. He had begun to realize that he
enjoyed Serena's presence and his banter with her, which had become
somewhat more friendly. She brought a light into his life he had never
known before. He was not yet ready to say that it was love he felt for
her, and certainly not willing to make any sort of moves on her, his
desire notwithstanding. If his desire was growing strong for her, then
there was nothing else to do but keep his distance.
- - - - - - - - - -
     It had been a thoroughly confusing day for Serena. She had hit upon
what seemed like a great idea for prompting Darien's memories, by drawing
a series of pictures of their life together in the Moon Kingdom. By
chance, she had found Darien on the street, having been cornered by Ann.
In response to Ann's lousy singing, Serena had intervened.
     "Hey, meatball head! Hey, glad to see ya!" Darien had said.
     "You are, Darien?" she asked, turning to see a genuinely happy look
on his face. "Do you remember?" With that, however, Darien's happy
expression turned into one of puzzlement. Clearly, he did not remember.
     Serena immediately held up her drawings and began relating the story
of Endymion and Serenity.
     "You think a sophisticated guy like Darien is interested in your
dumb fairy-tale?" Ann had asked.
     Suddenly, Serena noticed that Darien had walked away. 'What if she's
right? What if it is just a stupid fairy-tale?' she wondered.
     A red rose had appeared in front of her downcast eyes, but her
momentary joy was dispelled when she saw it was Alan, Ann's brother. He
was certainly a hunk, and a silver tongued one at that, but her heart
belonged to Darien.
     Later, the Senshi had tackled a new cardian, in the form of a lion.
It had quickly knocked out the other Senshi, leaving Sailor Moon to face
it alone, when a white rose suddenly struck the ground in front of the
monster. She had looked, expecting to see Tuxedo Kamen, but instead found
a figure in white robes standing on a tree limb.
     "The moonlight's so very beautiful tonight," he had said, in a voice
that sounded much like Darien's. "Far too beautiful for a creature as
ugly as this, don't you think?"
     "Is it possible? Ah, who are you?" asked Sailor Moon.
     "I am called the Moonlight Knight," he answered.
     As she had wondered who he could be, the lion leapt toward the
Knight. The Knight quickly responded with a short-bladed sword, leaving
the cardian lying on the ground. 
     "How can I thank you?" Sailor Moon asked him.
     "Your beautiful smile is thanks enough. It's as beautiful as the
moonlight. See you again," the Knight said, as he turned and vanished. 
     "He's way sweeter than Tuxedo Kamen," she had sighed.
     While she had been staring dreamily after the Moonlight Knight,
certain he was somehow her prince, the cardian recovered and renewed the
attack. Sailor Jupiter regained consciousness just in time, blasting the
cardian before it could hurt Sailor Moon.
     Recalling these events, Serena wondered again how she was going to
help Darien recover his memory, and how this new Moonlight Knight fit
into the picture.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Darien found his feelings for Serena growing stronger. He had shared
a surprisingly enjoyable time with her at a virtual reality theater,
before it was interrupted by a strange monster. Several days later,
Darien had taken in an infant whose mother was injured by another
monster. Serena had promptly appointed herself to help Darien in this
task. Almost in spite of herself, she had actually done a fairly decent
job, and he had liked the opportunity to see other sides of her. His
world just seemed a happier place when Serena was around. On the other
hand, he still occasionally found himself longing for her physically, and
dreaming of having sex with her. She was doing things to him that no
other woman had ever done. He'd found others who had made him feel sexual
desire. He'd found others who had been fun for a few dates. No girl had
ever really gotten into his heart in such a way that he found himself
thinking about her nearly all the time. No girl until Serena, that is.
     He walked into a park. He felt a strange sense of deja vu, as if
this spot should mean something special to him. Ahead of him, he caught
sight of two long streams of golden blond hair in front of a fountain.
Somehow, it just seemed right that he should find her there. He moved
quietly up behind her.
     "So, how's my favorite meatball head?" he asked softly.
     She turned suddenly, obviously startled, then rewarded him with a
brilliant smile that reached all the way to her brightly sparkling eyes.
"Darien!" 
     She almost hugged him, but pulled herself back when she saw that
look of uncertainty flash through his eyes.
     "What brings you out here?" he asked, sorry to see that smile dim.
     "Oh, uhm, just remembering something," she said softly. 'Something
about you and me,' she added to herself.
     "It really is a lovely fountain, isn't it," he said. "Do you mind if
I join you?"
     "I guess not," she said slowly, considering the possibility of
events repeating themselves.
     "I'll try not to let my sarcasm get the better of me," he said,
mistaking the source of her tentative tone. "If you promise not to kill
me with a klutz attack."
     Serena scowled at him, then giggled. "Deal."
     He sat down on a bench, and motioned for her to sit beside him. She
did so, and they fell into an easy conversation. Her laugh was the most
pleasant sound he'd heard in a long time, and he gradually realized she
was edging closer to him. He started to tell her some things about his
own life, but was amazed at how much she seemed to already know. Had she
been pumping Andrew for information? Eventually, he realized that
sometime while they were talking he had slipped his arm around her and
she was leaning against him. Never had he felt so comfortable with a
girl. She looked up at him with those large blue eyes, and he saw a
sparkle of much more than just happiness. Being rapidly swept away, he
started to bring his mouth down to hers.
     Suddenly, loud screams shook them out of their mood. They looked to
see a dark, shimmering figure streaking toward them. Darien hastily
pushed Serena to the ground and covered her protectively as the monster
flashed overhead.
     "What is that?" he asked.
     'It must be another cardian,' she thought.
     The cardian settled for another couple on the other side of the
fountain. "Empathy!" it cried as it drained their energy, leaving them
unconscious.
     Darien watched as it moved to another couple.
     "It's only going after couples. I wonder why?"
     "I don't know," Serena said. 'Must be seeking the energy of lovers.'
     Just then, Empathy turned and rushed toward Serena and Darien. He
rolled her under the bench, then hurriedly dove away. As he had expected,
Empathy immediately lost interest, looking for another pair of victims.
He saw Serena rushing across the lawn. This was one time he was pleased
that she was not one for heroics.
     The swelling of Darien's concern for Serena brought Empathy hurtling
toward him. Darien heard the cardian coming, rolling forward at the last
minute, and leaving Empathy to grab only empty air. Serena turned back at
the sound of Empathy's frustrated scream.
     "Darien!" Serena cried.
     Empathy flew toward her. As Serena shrieked in fright, Darien found
a fallen tree branch, swinging it at the cardian. Empathy turned on him
and began draining Darien's energy. Struggling, Darien thrust the branch
upward, hitting Empathy's face. In pain, the cardian floated up and away
from him, while Darien collapsed to the ground.
     A quick glance showed Serena that there was no one else around who
was conscious. "Moon... Crystal... Power!" she cried, starting her
transformation.
     The flare of energy, and Serena's feelings for Darien, brought
Empathy flying toward her. With a scream, Sailor Moon fell to the ground,
hurriedly rolling away in an attempt to evade the cardian's grasp.
     Darien observed the fight. 'I must have gotten hit harder than I
thought. I could have sworn I just saw Serena turn into Sailor Moon.'
Struggling to his feet, he grabbed the tree branch again and lunged at
Empathy. Though there was little power behind Darien's blow, it forced
the cardian away from Sailor Moon. Dropping the branch, Darien rolled
himself away.
     "Jupiter... Thunder... Crash!" Sailor Jupiter's thunderbolt struck
the cardian.
     Empathy struggled to shake off the attack when Mars unleashed her
fire blast. The cardian screamed in pain, only to have its badly burned
skin stung by Mercury's ice bubbles. Venus followed up immediately with
her meteor shower, sending the cardian crashing to the ground.
     Seeing the cardian down and badly injured, Sailor Moon readied her
scepter. "Moon... Scepter... Elimination." The scepter's power finished
it off. As the other Senshi moved closer, Serena rushed to Darien. "Are
you alright?" she asked.
     He looked at her closely, finally deciding he really had seen it.
"Serena," he said, tentatively.
     Her eyes widened, as she suddenly realized that he had seen her
transformation. "Yes," she answered, quietly. "Are you alright?"
     "I guess so," he said. "I just feel like I could sleep for a week."
     She could see in his eyes and feel inside herself that he still did
not remember their past. Putting aside her disappointment for the moment,
she helped him to his feet and walked him back to the bench, where he sat
down again.
     "You should probably head home," she told him.
     He took several slow, deep breaths. "Sounds like a good idea. I've
had quite enough surprises for one day." He stood up, pausing as he
looked at her. "You know, I had fun this afternoon, Serena. At least
until that monster showed up."
     "I had fun too, Darien."
     Seeing the other girls standing there, he simply waved a hand
slightly and turned to walk away. "Maybe we can do this again sometime,"
he said. He knew he wanted more, but just at that moment he was too
tired.
     "I'd like that," she said.
     She ducked out of sight and transformed back to normal, then caught
up with him on the street.
     "You're back?" he asked.
     "Sure. I have to make sure you get home in one piece," she said with
a giggle.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Serena saw Darien only as far as the front door of his building. She
knew if she went with him to the door of his apartment, he would probably
invite her in, an invitation she also knew she would not be able to
refuse. As much as she wanted to, now confident that she had virtually
won him back, even if his memories hadn't returned, she knew he needed
rest after being attacked by the cardian.
     "Bye, Darien," she said. "I hope you'll feel better tomorrow."
     "Bye, Serena," he answered.
     She headed for home with the song of their love playing in her
heart.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Darien fell into bed, absolutely exhausted, but not so tired that a
part of him didn't yearn for Serena. As he had struggled with dinner and
a shower, before heading for bed much earlier than he had in years, he
was tormented by fantasies of Serena there to care for him, and always
ending up with her joining him in bed. Most worrying to him was that he
found himself beginning to rationalize the situation in his fantasies,
convincing himself that it was really alright.
     As he fell asleep, he was torn by conflicting desires: the desire of
his body to experience Serena's body, and the desire of his heart never
to hurt her.
- - - - - - - - - -
     He awoke, trembling. He'd had another dream about Serena, but this
time he had used the rationalizations to encourage her. She hadn't said
no, but deep down, he knew he had pressured her. In the dream, he had
been so consumed by his longing for her that he had gone beyond the
bounds of what was proper.
     If his desires were getting that strong, he had to slow things down,
he decided. He would have to keep his distance from her.
- - - - - - - - - -
     "Hey, Darien!" Serena called to him, the next day.
     He had been about to enter the game center to pick up some study
materials from Andrew. Serena's arrival dictated a change in plans.
     "Hi, meatball head," he replied, trying to play up the sarcasm in
his voice. "Here to do some *serious* studying, I see." His libido was
already urging him to take her back to his apartment, slip her out of her
school uniform, and do some serious studying of her beautiful young body.
     She was taken aback by his remark. "Well, maybe just to unwind a
little after school," she said. "But maybe we could do something."
     "Afraid not. I wouldn't want to interrupt something so important,"
he said, turning away as he said it. "Don't study *too* hard."
     Serena was stunned as he walked away. The day before she had been so
sure that he was again in love with her. Today, he had gone back to being
downright rude. She fought back a tear, not wanting to give him the
satisfaction.
- - - - - - - - - -
     All hell had just broken loose. Darien had gone to visit Ann and
Alan that evening. He'd learned from Andrew, who seemed to have better
intelligence sources than the CIA, that both Ann and Alan had apparently
been sick. Furthermore, they were new in town, and appeared not to have
any family. Few people could understand what that was like better than
Darien. So he decided perhaps he should offer a gesture of welcome.
     Outside the building, he had run into Serena, who had told him some
weird story about "space plants." Now, he realized that, knowing she was
Sailor Moon, he should have taken her more seriously. While he and Alan
were out on the balcony, the entire building had started to shake
violently, torn apart by what appeared to be a massive tree. Ann and Alan
suddenly revealed themselves to be the two aliens he had seen Sailor Moon
fighting with at the VR theater. Even though this was something far more
in Sailor Moon's line than his own, his heart still urged him to reach
Serena and try to protect her.
     His focus tightened almost exclusively on her, so that he was only
vaguely aware of Ann and Alan squabbling over what to do with them.
Caught in the grasp of one of the tree's tentacle-like roots, he
stretched out his arm, desperately trying to grasp Serena's hand. As he
did so, he became aware of a bright golden glow within himself, reacting
to her. Somehow, he knew it had always been there, and that he had simply
failed to notice it. With it came the absolute certainty that he loved
Serena more than anything.
     The tree started draining energy from both of them, and as his
consciousness faded, he had a vague sensation of falling.
- - - - - - - - - -
     Serena recovered to find the other Senshi battling Ann and Alan,
with the aliens prevailing. As her friends were beaten to the floor,
Serena's determination grew, augmented by the glow within her, once again
blazing brightly.
     "That's it! I'm steamed!" she declared, beginning her
transformation.
     As Ann and Alan resumed their arguing over how to proceed, Serena
turned to the unconscious Darien, desperately afraid that she could lose
him once again. As she softly cried his name, she reached for the glow
within her, offering some of her own strength.
     Suddenly Ann blasted the two of them. Sailor Moon clutched his hand,
feeling the power of their love somehow protecting them both. "Oh,
Darien. Hang in there," she said.
     "Let go of him!" Ann screamed.
     "She won't. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that she's a
true friend. She's loyal, and she's strong. She'll never desert him, even
if it means her own downfall," Alan told her. He then ordered the Doom
Tree to drain Darien and Serena completely.
     The other Senshi leaped to the attack, only to be hurled away by
Alan, while Ann blasted Sailor Moon as she prepared to attack with her
scepter, knocking her back down beside Darien.
     "Darien. Can you hear me? It's me, Darien. Sailor Moon," she said,
as he began to regain consciousness.
     "Meatball head?" he asked.
     "That's right," she said, letting her feelings for him flow through
their link. "Do you finally remember us?"
     "Yes, my sweet," he said slowly, still in pain. Images were flowing
through the link he had rediscovered with her, prompting memories of his
own.
     "We'll be together again, I promise," she told him, reminding him of
how he had been there for her.
     They were interrupted by another attack from Ann and Alan, who
gleefully pounded away at them. Sailor Moon struggled to her feet,
shielding Darien with her own body.
     "She's brave," Alan said with a grudging respect. "Even braver than
I thought."
     "You don't know what bravery is, or friendship! All you know is
evil!" Sailor Moon told him.
     While Alan reacted with shock at her condemnation, Ann happily
pronounced it true.
     "Renounce your love for Darien, and I might spare you," Ann said.
     "No! I never renounce my feelings. True love can't be taken away by
anyone!" Sailor Moon answered.
     Darien, still struggling with his returning memories, was stunned to
feel the full power of her love for him flowing through the link. With
hardly a thought, he hurled himself in front of her, determined to
protect Serena from Ann's next attack. Finally battered beyond his
endurance, he collapsed into her arms.
     "Darien," Serena cried. "We'll still have each other, no matter what
they do to us."
     The obvious strength of Serena's love for Darien was giving Alan
second thoughts about what they were doing. Ann was about to renew her
attack on the other Senshi when the Moonlight Knight intervened. Ann
hurled an energy blast at him, but the Knight vanished. Before she could
even consider this, the Doom Tree suddenly lashed out indiscriminately.
     As Serena grasped Darien tightly, doing what she could to protect
him, she saw Alan struck hard by one of the tree's roots. A second one
closed in for what would obviously be a killing blow, when Ann jumped in
front of him.
     "You can't have him!" Ann cried, taking the blow herself.
     Alan jumped to her side, his concern for Ann evident in his voice.
It was clear to Serena that he truly did love Ann, but may have fully
realized it too late. As she died in his arms, Alan cried out in grief. A
sudden noise drew the attention of both Serena and Alan, as the tree
again moved to finish him.
     "Stop this, now!" Sailor Moon cried, not wanting to see any more
death. "Save him!"
     Suddenly, she and Alan found themselves in the mind of the tree,
which explained its past and how Ann and Alan came to be, living in an
environment devoid of love. Now that they had learned love, the tree
declared that it had not lived in vain. "Please rid me of all the
negative energy I've been poisoned with all these years," the tree asked
Sailor Moon.
     She activated her scepter, pouring its energy into the tree.
     "I... am... free!" the tree cried, as it glowed brightly, converting
into pure energy.

< To be continued >

**********
NOTE: Sharp-eyed readers will have noticed that I have chosen to ignore
the new beginning scenes from the end of the North American version, as
well as the "full circle" scene from the Japanese version.  To put it
simply, neither ending really fits with the continuing story.  The
Japanese version ends that way because the producers were not certain it
would continue into a second season, and wanted a reasonable stopping
point if that became necessary.  DiC, I presume, knew they were going to
continue past that point, and so patched together their version, which I
believe was basically lifted out of the R movie.  In short, I don't care
for either one, so I decided to rewrite it in a way that would fit better
with the rest of my story.