"Crystal Memories"
Part 3
By Razzz


	Sunlight woke her, with the birds chirping outside cheerfully. Serena 
stretched loudly.
	'What a horrible dream I had.' She thought to herself. Then she 
looked down. She was still wearing her black dress, now rumpled because she 
had slept in it. 
	"Oh god, it wasn't a dream!" she thought to herself. She tried to 
hold back the tears, then realized she wasn't at home. She wasn't in her 
own bed, but in a strange bedroom she didn't even recognize. She got up, 
rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Voices in the next room carried through 
the thin door.
	" . . .parents think she's at my house. Don't worry about it." Lita 
said. She sounded exhausted. 
	"Good. I don't want a relapse of the killer Dad now that I've finally 
got him to accept me. Besides, now we can just let her sleep in as late as 
she needs to." Darien joked lightly. He too sounded worse for wear. 
Serena's heart skipped. 
	"'Darien!" she thought happily. 'He's alive!' she wanted to rush out 
the door, or scream or something. She didn't know how he was alive; she had 
seen the shed explode, but she didn't care. He was all right. She relaxed 
with that calming revelation. She pulled at her dress, trying to get more 
comfortable. It didn't work. The cloth was too itchy. She opened a drawer, 
looking for something to change into. 
	Huge shirt, huge pants shorts . . .
	"Oops," she squealed, blushing as she closed the drawer, realizing 
what kind of shorts she had accidentally picked up. 
	"Well, I guess I'm at Darien's then." She said out loud. "I wonder if 
he has anything else to wear other than that ugly green jacket?" Serena 
opened the closet, surveying the contents. Couple of nice button-down dress 
shirts, tee shirts, a tank, sweater, turtleneck, jacket. Altogether pretty 
boring, but not bad at all. At least it wasn't Melvin style. Something 
shiny twinkled from the ledge above the bar of the closet where the clothes 
hung. Serena jumped up, trying to see what it was. She grabbed it and 
pulled it down. She gasped when she saw what it was.
	"What?" she asked aloud, surprised. It was a picture of her and 
Darien, his arm around her shoulders, both smiling. 'What's this supposed 
to mean?' She jerked her head up as she heard Rei's acrid voice cut through 

the room, loud despite the closed door.
	"Yeah, well, she wouldn't need to even need her sleep if she'd just 
get her memory back." Rei said hotly. 
	"That's not fair Rei. She's been through a lot." Someone new said. It 
sounded like Sailor Venus. Serena furrowed her brow, trying to place the 
girl.
	"I know. But don't you wish she'd even remember who you were Mina? Or 
what about you Darien? She woke up hating you!" Rei replied. 
	"OF course I do. Don't you think I miss her. And Darien, I mean, come 
on Rei,  she didn't even remember anything at all about him other than the 
fact that she didn't like him at all. This is one of the hardest things 
I've ever had to do." Mina said passionately. Serena leaned against the 
door.
	'How much have I forgotten!?!?' she wondered, alarmed at all this new 
information about her past. 
	"I understand that this is hard for you girls, but Rei is right. She 
needs to remember who she is. There is no way we can get Reeny back without 
the crystal, and we don't know what she did with it when she disappeared. 
She has got to remember, or else I don't know if we'll ever see Reeny 
again." Luna said rationally. 
	'Luna?' Serena thought. 'What is she doing here, talking in front of 
Darien?'
	"She's remembering some things. She remembered some of the things I 
told her before, about my family." Darien said quietly. "I'm sure she'll 
remember everything else, eventually." 
	"How do you know she will. If I were her, I wouldn't want to remember 
any of this. She never wanted to be Sailor Moon, and why would she even 
want to remember you Darien. You always called her names, and how many 
times did you forget her, or better yet, try and kill her? How miserable 
have you made her, especially with this last fiasco. I wouldn't be 
surprised if she never remembered anything because she didn't want to 
remember you." Rei said. 
	"That's way harsh Rei." Mina said softly, glancing at Darien. He had 
gotten strangely quiet. 
	"You know you all feel the same way." Rei said stubbornly. Darien 
hung his head.
	"Darien?" Ami asked. He stood stiffly.
	"Is this how you all feel?" he asked. No one said a word. 
	"I thought so. I'll leave. I'm obviously hurting her by just being 
here." Darien said angrily and stalked out of the apartment, slamming the 
door loudly behind him. The other girls stared at Rei in shock, their 
mouths hanging agape. Serena silently stood in the doorway, watching her 
friends. Icy pinpricks of heat assaulted her nerves, and she bit her tongue 
trying to keep her anger in check. She stepped forward into the room, not 
saying a word. Lita stood up and approached her, but Serena shook her head.
	"Stay away." she growled. Biting her lower lip, struggling to keep 
herself as stern as possible.  She tried not to notice the hurt look on her 
friends faces. All she could remember was the sound of Darien's voice 
before he left.
	"I can't believe you!" Serena screamed, losing control for a moment. 
She didnt't understand where such anger, such protectiveness had come 
from. "Couldn't you hear his pain? You had no right to say that to him." 
	"Serena, we're sorry. We didn't mean-" Ami said, but Serena turned 
away, her hands on her ears, not wanting to hear excuses.
	"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to find Darien. Just leave us 
alone." Serena said, walking swiftly to the door. She shut it behind her, 
leaning against it as she felt her tears spill down her cheeks. She didn't 
understand these emotions, but she couldn't control them either, and she 
couldn't forgive her friends for what they had done to her -. . . to 
Darien. She wiped away the last of her tears and ran down the stairs. 
	In Darien's apartment, the girls were transfixed on the door. 
Serena's sudden outburst had surprised them all. Rei was  crying softly.
	"Oh Rei, how could you have said all that to him? " Mina asked. Rei 
hung her head in shame, soft tears flowing. 
	"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say all that. But she, she could have 
died. She can't fight if she can't remember. She'll just get hurt. And he, 
he . . .  I don't want her to die." She began to sob, and Mina embraced 
her. The other girls joined in the hug and waited for Serena to return.


	Serena didn't know where exactly she was running to, but she could 
feel some strange force pulling her to some strange destination. She just 
followed her instincts and realized that they had led her to the park. She 
walked down the main path, hugging her small bundle tightly against her 
chest. A shadowy figure, tall and lean, hung out over the ledge of the 
bridge that hung over the stream. Serena walked up as silently as she could 
and stood next to him. 
	"Darien?" she asked quietly. He turned to look at her, smiling 
wanly. 
	"How are you feeling?" he asked. Serena shrugged her shoulders.
	"Fine I guess." She said. 
	"That's good. I'm glad you're all right." he said. Serena cleared her 
throat.
	"Darien," she began uncomfortably, taking a deep breath before 
continuing. "I thought you, I mean, how did you . . .what happened last 
night?" she asked. 
	"I wasn't in the shed. Someone let me out when you" Darien placed 
emphasis on the you, "locked me in." he said playfully. Serena blushed. 
	"I'm so sorry. I wouldn't blame you if you totally despised me, after 
that and the other thing that happened. I was out of line.  I just wanted 
to apologize." Serena said shyly. She shifted the small rectangular object  
from hand to hand behind her back, trying to decide what to do with it. 
	"Don't worry about it. I don't 'totally despise' you. It's no big 
deal, really." He said, not looking at her, Rei's words still fresh in his 
head. He could feel how cool his words were, hated himself for acting like 
this, but what if Rei was right? His logic told him it wasn't true, how she 
did need him, was better off with him, but those doubts kept on creeping 
back up on him. So many doubts, despite his strong character. Again, logic 
told him to ignore these doubts, these so seemingly unfounded doubts, and 
yet he didn't. When did logic rule anything when it came to her, came to 
love? His logic was a voice drowned in a sea of insanity, and Rei's voice 
still rang clearer than any other above the din.  Even if it did mean 
watching her face cloud to sadness, even if it meant she shed tears over 
him, he stupidly followed those doubts all the same.
	"Oh, well . . .I'll just go now." she said and started to walk away. 
But, when she  had reached the end of the bridge, she stomped back to 
Darien angrily, each step thudding louder and louder.
	"No big deal! You know, making me think something bad had happened 
was totally mean Darien. It wasn't nice at all!" she said indignantly.  
Darien arched an eyebrow and watched her, amused. 'Perhaps . . .'  
	She began to walk away again, then spun on her heels and pointed a 
long, slender finger at him..
	"And when I kissed you, I was just trying to make you feel better. 
It didn't mean anything. I mean, me liking you? I don't think so." she 
said, laughing nervously. 
	"Oh really?" he asked, a smile playing on the corners of his 
	"Yeah. I mean, you're like, you and I'm well - I was just worried, 
that's all." Serena said with a pout.  Darien began to laugh at her silly, 
serious yet charming expression. 
	"Well, it's nice to know you cared meat-ball head." he said. Serena 
stormed up right next to him, and punched him lightly in the arm.
	"Don't call me that. And to think I came out here to make sure you 
were all right after what Rei said." she said haughtily, turning her nose 
up in the air. Darien's gaze softened at that. 
	"You heard?" he asked quietly. Serena's face lost it's miffed 
expression  and she nodded, noting the sudden change in his demeaner.
	"Yeah. It wasn't right for them to say all that. I don't even 
understand what they were talking about." Serena said. "Could you tell me 
what they meant? What this means?" she asked, holding out the picture she 
had been hiding behind her back, the one she had found of her and him in 
his room. Darien took the picture from her and looked at it wistfully, 
smiling at the memories the picture invoked.  He let his finger trace over 
the outline of her face, engrossed in the image, before turning to face 
her.
	"Where did you get this?" he asked seriously. 
	"You're room. I found it. Why do you have a picture of us? What have 
I forgotten?"  she leaned over to look at the picture as if it would reveal 
some great mystery. 
	"I can't tell you." he said sadly. Serena frowned at him angrily.
	"I know, you can't tell me because Ami said whatever. But I'm sick of 
all this. I want to know what I forgot and get on with my life! So just 
tell me!  You of all people should understand. Please, Darien, just tell 
me." she said, losing her fire and choking on her words. Darien reached out 
his hand to touch her comfortingly, but she jerked back. 
	"Don't pretend anything Darien. If you won't tell me the truth, I 
don't think I want to be friends with you. Last night was a mistake, and 
I'm sorry that I did it." 
	"Serena, last night wasn't-"
	"Don't. I know, I'm just a kid who can't even handle the truth! So 
I'll go and stop bothering you." Serena said harshly and began to walk 
away. Darien frowned, furrowing his brow, as his mind raced with something 
he could say to get her back, to explain something and make her not so 
angry. 'Tell her everything!' he told himself, 'something to make her 
remember her heart.'
	"Serena, wait." He called. She kept on walking. "Please Serena. 
Stop!" he said desperately. Serena stopped, and Darien silently gave 
thanks. Serena was staring at something strange in front of her. Darien 
looked past her and noticed the dark column rising into the sky just above 
the spires of the Starlight Tower. 
	"What is that?" she asked softly, her gaze never leaving the strange 
phenomenon. 
	"It's Reeny. She's in trouble." He said and grabbed her hand. "Come 
on." Serena followed him speechlessly as they ran through the bustling 
streets of Tokyo, ignoring the surprised and angry complaints of the people 
they disturbed as they recklessly headed towards the tower. 
	Standing outside the doors of the Starlight Tower Serena could feel 
an intense feeling of evil. 
	"Reeny's in there?" she asked. Darien nodded his head. Serena walked 
forward as bravely as she could and cautiously touched the doors, trying to 
open them. They felt like they had been charged with an intense electric 
power and she jerked her hands back in shock, giving a yelp of surprise. 
	"Careful!" Darien warned her in alarm. He took her hand tenderly and 
examined it, making sure she was all right. 
	"I'm fine. It's nothing." She said, biting back the tears she would 
have instinctively shed. But for some surprising reason, she didn't. It 
didn't feel right to cry, to act so immature, as though she should have 
past that stage of her life, and yet it seemed that she was still in that  
stage.. She was still confused, but she felt something warm on her hand.
Hot breath, soft lips.  Darien pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it.
	"All better?" he asked. Serena smiled warmly. 
	"Yeah." she said. Then she turned her attention to the doors. 
What ever was back there must be very evil, very dangerous, very scary, 
for it to have charged the whole door like that. She began to get very 
scared again, shivering now as the realization hit her. Her body began 
to quake like a small leaf in the wind. Darien gazed down at her with 
concern and placed his hand lightly on her shoulder, trying to calm her 
down with his touch. 
	"Serena, what's wrong?" he asked, concern in his voice. She 
continued to shake, and her eyes were beginning to water as she stared at 
the door in terror.
	"I . . . I . . .I can't g,go in there. It's it's-" she dissolved into 
tears of fear, her apprehension of some unknown thing she knew was 
frightening though she didn't know why  devastating her reason and resolve. 
	"Serena, we don't have much of a choice. I'll go with you, and we'll 
get Reeny. Together." He said reassuringly. Serena shook her head violently,
and took deep gulps of air. 
	"I d d don't want to." She said between sobs. 
	"But Reeny-"
	"I don't care! I don't care. I don't want to go in there. It's 
so . .  Please don't make me. I don't  wanna. I'm so, so, so scared." She 
said, her fists balled tightly. Darien wiped away the tears that were 
spilling down her cheeks with a long finger, and pulled her against  him 
tightly, letting her cry away all her fear, until he felt her calm down and
she felt more relaxed against him. She pushed herself away from him and
stared at the Tower. 
	"Serena." he said softly. She turned away from the doors to face him.
	"I won't go. Let someone else do this." she said, sniffling. Darien 
shook his head.
	"I know you too well to believe that you don't care. You wouldn't let 
Reeny die. That's not the girl I . . . It's not who you are." 
	"How do you know who I am? Why do I have to save her? Why can't it be 
someone else for once. I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't." she said, and
began to walk away. Darien grabbed her hand and pulled her back 
forcefully.
	"You're the only one who can do this. I know you're scared, but 
you've never let that stop you before. Do you honestly believe that you 
can just walk away?" he asked. Serena looked at her shoes in shame. He was 
right, of course.
	"But I'm just so scared." she said softly, as though it were an 
excuse. She felt Darien's fingers snake their way between hers, 
intertwining them together.
	"I know. But we'll face this. Together. I swear, I won't leave your 
side. We'll get her back, together." He said. Serena gazed at their hands, 
unable to tell whose fingers were whose, as though they were joined 
together as one, as though they had always been and will always be so. 
	"You promise?" She asked, staring up into his familiar, safe, warm 
blue eyes. The depth of the emotions astounded her, so caring and adoring. 
He bent his head lower, and lightly brushed his lips over hers, sweet 
butterfly kisses that were far too brief for Serena's liking and a second 
later, she was looking at him again, in a daze.
	"We can do this." he said, emphasizing the we. Serena nodded her head 
in determined agreement, feeling confidence in herself rise,  and clasped 
his hand, still remembering the feel of him on her skin. 
'What is going on?' she wondered, feeling so many new and strange emotions, 
something warm in her stomach, something fluttery in her stomach, something 
cold in her stomach. 'Is this love?' She asked herself. 
	Darien kicked at the door, utilizing the skills he had learned in his 
many Karate classes. After two tries, the wood gave and a hole into the 
building opened, then began to shrink. 
	"Come on." Darien said as he helped Serena through, then jumped 
through himself as the doors repaired themselves.
	"No going back, is there?" Serena asked, staring at the door, her 
eyes wide in terror. She could feel another fear attack approach. 
	"No, there isn't. The only way to go is forward, so let's get going." 
He said, walking out into the middle of the large foyer of the tower. 
Serena never let her hand loose from his, never strayed from his side. 
Darien seemed so brave to her, so calm and controlled. He didn't even seem 
afraid, when he should be the one afraid, much more so than she was. Darien 
didn't even have powers. This sent a shiver down Serena's spine. 'What have 
I gotten Darien into?' she wondered in alarm as she thought of the 
probability of Darien getting hurt. And he didn't even seem to care about 
that. All he cared about was getting Reeny back, and keeping her safe. 
	"Darien!" she exclaimed feeling the all too vulnerable flesh of his 
skin against  hers. "You have to get out of here. I can't let you stay 
here." She said, trying to turn back to the wall through which they had 
entered.  But Darien stopped her and shook his head.
	"No way. I'm not leaving you." he said. 
	"But Darien, you can't." she protested. 
	"And why not? What makes you think you can do this alone?" he asked. 
Serena frowned. She couldn't transform in front of him, and she couldn't 
tell him she was Sailor Moon. She 'could' handle a youma, but he was just 
a normal person. No superpowers, no nothing.. Luna had never given him 
anything. He would probably get killed trying to protect her. 'But Luna was 
talking to him earlier.' She remembered, the scene in his apartment 
replaying in her mind. Darien and Luna were talking. How did he know about 
that?
	"How did you know?" she thought aloud. Darien looked at her in 
confusion. 
	"What are you talking about?" he asked. Serena stared at him, scared. 
She didn't know what to do - again. 
	"Serena, what are you thinking. We don't have time for you to be 
spacing right now." he said sternly. This startled Serena. He was beginning 
to sound like Luna now, or maybe even like Rei. Serena was beginning to 
really wish the others were there, and knew that there was no way she could 
do this without transforming. And, there was no way to get around Darien. 
He would just have to find out. Unless he already knew. She had nothing to 
lose.
	"How do you know about Luna?" she asked in a straightforward manner. 
Darien smiled.
	"So that's what's bothering you?" he said to no one in particular. 
His face became serious, losing all trace of the amusement he had displayed 
when he had looked at her a short while ago.
	"Before I tell you, you have  to tell me something. You have to 
promise to tell the truth." He said seriously. The request sounded so 
familiar. 
	'Promise me you won't lie Darien.' she could hear herself saying long 
ago. 'Wow, where did that one come from.' She wondered. 
	"Oh kay." She said uncertainly, unsure of what was next to come. 
"But then you have to tell me what I want to know." 
	"Deal." He said, shaking her hand, although he was still as solemn 
and serious as ever. She tried to match his mood unsuccessfully, and only 
managed to barely hold back her giggles, even though she knew she shouldn't 
find any of this funny. But, the whole situation was so ridiculous - trapped
in a tower, having an obviously serious discussion in the middle of the 
foyer, and all the dangers forgotten - as though they wouldn't even bother 
attacking until they were done talking. It was just all so silly. And, it 
felt as though she had done this with him before. 
	"Serena, I need to know. Do you care for me? Do you" he paused, "love 
me." he asked, fighting the urge to turn his face away,, afraid of her 
response. 'What if it isn't what I'd hoped for?' he wondered in alarm. 'How 
would I live if she didn't?'
	"Um, well you see it's kinda complicated." She began, flustered. 
Darien shook his head.
	"Isn't it always? Just listen to your heart Serena. I need to know if 
you love me. Just a simple yes or a no." Serena stared at him, scrutinizing 
every detail. 'Simple!?!?' she thought, 'Yeah right.'  Love was a difficult 
thing, and she wasn't sure if this was love or just another silly crush. 
Sure she liked the guy, and then, whenever she was in his arms she felt so 
odd, and when she kissed him, something had just clicked, but was all that 
normal? 
	"I don't know. I'm just not sure of anything." she said, unable to 
look at his intense eyes anymore. They had looked so hopeful, then so 
crushed, and she couldn't stand it. She didn't want to see his eyes 
anymore, see the emotions they revealed,  and looked away. She felt his 
familiar warmth enclose the backs of her hands.
	"Serena, what do you feel here," guiding her hand with his to her 
heart, holding it in place over the area where he hoped it beat only for 
him. Serena closed her eyes, trying to remember what she felt, trying to 
make the soundless emotion turn into words.
	"I feel - I feel like I'm not missing anything anymore." she said, 
her eyes still shut as she listened softly to her soul.
	"Like you are whole." He commented, knowing from his own personal 
experience. Serena's eyes flew open, and she broke away from her trance
	"I, I - oh I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I really don't 
know." she exclaimed. Darien smiled comfortingly, trying to hide his 
disappointment, although, for some reason, his face was like an open book 
to her. She could tell she had hurt him, yet, she was so afraid of being 
hurt. 'Being hurt?' she wondered. 
	"Don't worry. You'll tell me when you're ready." He said. Serena 
smiled  at him gratefully still pondering his question, not watching where 
she was going, and she suddenly lurched forward. Darien caught her as she 
stumbled.
	"Oops, clutz attack." She said laughing. "Thanks for - Darien!" she  
said in alarm, as her smile turned to one of fear as his face contorted 
into one of confusion and he began to follow her example, stumbling as the 
room began to spin, the walls turning bright psychadelic colors that 
shifted, and the two sunk to the floor, their heads whirring around and 
around as the room closed in on them in a whirlwind of illusion. 


	Ken Tsukino nervously watched his wife, as she listened passively to 
the speaker over the phone. She returned the receiver to the cradle, still 
speechless. 
	"What did they say? Ilene?" Ken asked nervously. She shook her head, 
and dazedly sat down at the kitchen table.
	"Ami says that they can't find her." she said softly. 
	"What about Darien? They have to have found something." 
	"Nothing. Ami said their energy didn't register at all on her 
computer." 
	"Maybe the computer's broken then. They couldn't have disappeared 
without a trace." Ken said, beginning to get angry. "What are those things 
good for if they can't find my daughter." He pounded the table with his 
fist in frustration.
	"Ken, please. Calm down." She said quietly. 
	"I will not calm down. Those stupid, stupid girls. They didn't even 
tell us what was going on. They didn't even call last night, and now 
Serena's gone too."
	"Ken, they're doing the best they know-"
	"Don't Ilene. Don't you start." He yelled. He took his glasses and 
rubbed a tired hand over his eyes.
	"There's no reason to get angry at me." she said sharply. "Don't you 
act like an adolescent."  She said, then came over and put a comforting arm 
around him. "I'm sure it'll all work out. It always does." She gave him a 
quick peck on the cheek, and he smiled ever so slightly. 
	"Ilene, I-" she stopped him, kissing him again.
	"I know" she said, "I know." And then, the two slumped forward, as 
everything went black.


	Darien groggily opened his eyes, and lifted his hands to wipe away 
sleep. Or at least, he tried to. His hands could hardly move, his wrists 
chafed by something hard and cold. He looked at his hands, panicking. 
'Where did these come from?" he wondered, then, he remembered. 'Serena!' 
he thought, remembering that when he blacked out, he had been holding her. 
And now he was chained to a wall in a dark, room of black crystals. 
He looked to his left, and smiled in relief. There was Reeny, her head 
resting against her chest, sleeping. At least she was safe. He turned to 
the other side, sure of what he'd find, his meat-ball headed blond. 
	No one was there. Fear gripped him immediately, as all the 
possibilities flooded his mind. 
	"Reeny. Reeny honey, wake up." he coaxed the girl out of her sleep 
soothingly, and she opened her eyes, facing him with hopeful, relieved 
tear-stained face. 
	"Darien!" she cried happily, wanting to throw her arms around him. 
'everything will be better now. Darien will fix everything.' She thought. 
	"Hey munchkin." He said. She smiled at the name.
	"I don't like it here." 
	"I know. Neither do I," he said. "Listen, Reeny, have you seen 
Serena?" 
	"No. I just saw them bring you up." she said, sadly. "Do you think 
she's all right?"
	"Yeah, she's a tough girl. She'll be fine." he said reassuringly. 
Reeny immediately brightened, thinking how lucky she was to be with Darien.
Something hissed in front of them, a dark column of smoke rising, and then 
something, someone, materialized from the heart of it, and stepped forward. 
	"Enjoying your stay?" Rubius said, one corner of his lips turned 
upwards into a lopsided smirk. Darien could think of nothing but hitting 
away that arrogant, infuriating look.
	"Where's Serena?" Darien demanded. Rubius laughed.
	"Oh, you must be talking about that pathetic Sailor Moon." he said, 
laughing again. He took a step towards Darien, squinting at him. "No, not a 
scout. Could it be that she brought a normal human with her. She is even 
more idiotic than I thought."
	"What have you done with her." Darien yelled angrily, struggling 
against the chains.
	"Down Romeo. You're little friend hasn't been harmed - yet." He 
laughed. "The Wiseman has plans for her."
	"Who is this Wiseman? What do you want?" Darien asked again, calming 
down as his mind whirred, trying to think up a plan. He knew he just had to 
keep him talking. And, this boy was too arrogant to not like hearing the 
sound of his own voice.
	"Why, he is your conqueror. He has destroyed the future, and he will 
destroy this pathetic time. You can thank him for what happened to your 
parents, little rabbit." He said, speaking to Reeny. She involuntarily 
gasped, as she tried to hide her tears, tried to be as strong as her 
mother. 'I'm a princess. I can't cry. I have to be strong.' She repeated 
silently, as though it would ward off her fear. She looked over at Darien, 
hoping that he could give her some of his strength, and noticed him doing 
something odd. Something green poked out from in between his fingers, which 
were closed in a fist around something. A rose? And now he was maneuvering 
it into the lock, twisting it ever so slightly, so inconspicuously. 
	"Why does he want Serena?" Darien asked again, his voice strangely 
calm and controlled.
	"She has something that we want. The little fool. She thought she 
could keep the crystal from us. She thought she could fight us forever. 
But, she couldn't win every battle. No, eventually, she would have to lose, 
and that's all it takes for us to crush her and this planet. Although, she 
should be dead by now, after what we gave her."
	"Gave her? What are you talking about?" he asked, although he knew. 
Rubius had to have been responsible for her illness. Rubius laughed.
	"Why, she was merely a test for the most potent plague the earth has 
ever seen. One that would have to eventually reach your parents, and kill 
them, rabbit, even if we don't know who they are. And what better way to 
see how destructive it is by testing it on the one who is the most 
powerful. Kill two birds with one stone - or, one scout actually." Rubius 
smiled again, noting the obvious anger in Darien's face, enjoying his 
torment. But Darien bit his lip and controlled his rage. He had thought he 
heard a ping, and continued to work. Just keep distracting him.
	"Why isn't she here with us?" Darien said, never averting his 
penetrating gaze from Rubius. If he even so much as glanced at his wrists, 
at the rose he was trying to use to jimmy the lock, he might be discovered. 
He could feel the edge of the rose blocked by something inside the lock, 
and hoped, as he began to work that angle.
	"Do you honestly think that we would merely tie up Sailor Moon. We've 
underestimated her for far too long, thinking we could merely beat her in 
battle. We're not that stupid. We've finally got her and we're not about to 
throw away this opportunity." 
	"Rubius, stop toying with them." A man cloaked in a dark robe entered 
the room, and Rubius immediately whirled around to face him, kneeling in 
front of the man. 
	"Rise." The man said in a bored tone. Rubius did so, dwarfed by the 
mere presence of the man.
	"It's not in good taste to play with the prisoners." He said. 
	"I was just - " Rubius protested, glaring angrily at Darien. But, he 
was cut off as his words died in his throat and turned into a low watery 
gurgle of pain.
	"Do you disagree?" the man said. Rubius shook his head vehemently, 
and began to gasp for breath as the psychic hold on his throat was 
released.
	"Forgive me Wiseman." He said in a raspy voice. 
	"Bring me Sailor Moon." the Wiseman ordered. Rubius nodded, and waved 
his hand, as the smoke began to rise again, and when it disappeared, a 
crystal cell remained, with Serena sitting on the floor, resting her 
shoulder against the clear wall. Noticing the slight movement of the cage, 
she opened her eyes, and saw Darien and Reeny tied up against the wall. She 
immediately jumped to her feet.
	"Darien!" she called out, her face pressed against the wall. She 
pushed against the wall, and when it wouldn't give, she began to pound 
against it.
	"Let me out of here!" she screamed angrily. The Wiseman began to 
laugh.
	"You see now princess, how pathetic Sailor Moon is." he said to 
Reeny, pointing a long, gnarled, bony finger at Serena. 
	"There is now way she can keep either you or your mother safe." 
Rubius added in sadistic glee. The wiseman glared at him angrily, silencing 
him with a look, and he cursed the stupidity of this young one. He would 
surely be their downfall, if he wasn't careful
	"Let her out of there." Darien said angrily. The wiseman turned his 
attention to the boy, scrutinizing him. He knew he had seen that boy 
somewhere - but where? There was only one thing to do with this familiar 
stranger. A dark sphere formed in his hand and he threw it at Darien, 
racking his body with the energy. He cried out in pain. 
	"Darien!" both Reeny and Serena screamed simultaneously. 
	"Stop. Please." Serena said. Rubius looked at her with an amused 
expression on his face. 
	"How does it feel to be helpless?" he asked. Wiseman shook his head 
in disappointment. 'Idiot.' He thought. Sailor Moon was hardly acting like 
the formidable enemy she had proven to be. She was crying like a child. 
She 'was' a child actually, which surprised him even more. The wiseman 
again readied his magic. He could hear Sailor Moon screaming at him, heard 
her small fists pounding against the walls. Even the rabbit was crying. 
	"Mercury Bubbles Blast." A new player had entered, shrouding the 
room in a freezing cold mist. Wiseman couldn't even see in front of him, 
and held onto the energy in his hand. He turned, holding out his hand in 
front of him. It came in contact with cold crystal, cracks forming on the 
surface. A figure with two long pigtails was outlined through the frost 
forming on the wall. He looked back around at his other two prisoners.
	Darien yanked his arm free from the shackle as his rose finally 
managed to pick the lock. He could barely see anything, but he heard the 
cracking sound in front of him, and knew that it had to have been that 
crystal cell. The cold had been too strong and had cracked it. But it 
wasn't enough. Darien threw his rose in the direction the cell was, hoping 
his aim was true. 
	Wiseman didn't know where the rose came from, but he could guess who 
threw it. It all made sense now. The King, and the Queen, and the princess, 
all in the same place. A shame Rubius and the other pathetic people he had 
surrounded himself with were too blind to see the obvious resemblance. And 
that miserable scout, Mercury, just had to come and stop him just as he was 
about to kill the King, when he had the royal family in his grasp. So 
close, yet so far. He looked in horror as the rose that had streaked past 
him embedded itself in the walls of the cell, the dissipating mist allowing 
him to watch in horror as the crystal shattered into a million little 
pieces and fell to the ground. Serena backed away from him, afraid of what 
he would do.
	"Mercury, the chains!" Darien called out, throwing another rose at 
Rubius, who was advancing towards them.
	You won't escape!" Rubius cried. 
	"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Mercury yelled, freezing the chains so that 
they broke into pieces and renewing the strong mist, giving Serena, Darien 
and Reeny a chance to escape.  Darien, threw another rose, grabbed Reeny 
and ran past Rubius, who was still recovering from the last rose Darien had 
thrown at him. 
	"Serena, Mercury, let's go." Darien said, Reeny clinging to him 
tightly. He could see the outlines of the two girls beside him and they all 
exited out the door, running as quickly as they could down the hall. 
	"Which way?" Serena asked, panting. She threw a quick glance behind 
her, noting the footsteps of someone close behind them. 
	"This way." Mercury said, ducking into a room. She sounded tired. 
	Darien closed the door, locked it and pushed a table against it. 
Reeny still clung to him. 'Great, no escape from here.' he thought, seeing 
that there were no doors or windows leading out.
	"Sailor Mercury, what's wrong?" Serena said, careful not to use her 
real name because of Darien and Reeny. Mercury looked pale, and she was 
shivering. Her lips were an odd blue pallor.
	"Where are the others?" Reeny asked.
	"What happened?" said Serena. The girl looked as though she would 
collapse. Darien held her up, supporting her, amazed at the chill of her 
skin. She was freezing. 
	"Ami, why aren't you with the girls?" he asked. She looked like she 
was going to cry, but didn't. 
	"It was terrible. Everyone passed out - Rei, Lita, Mina, everyone. It 
was like when you were so sick, but faster." She said, her teeth chattering 
loudly.
	"When I was sick?" Serena asked. Darien shook his head, telling her 
in that silent gesture  that it was a matter for another time. 
	"Everyone in Tokyo. It happened to everyone. I tried to freeze it, 
stop it, but if I did that to everyone, I'd have killed them." Mercury said 
sadly. 
	"Is everyone dead?" Reeny asked. 
	"I don't know. It was so quiet. And I'm so cold." She said, as 
another shiver shook her. Serena wrapped her arms around her friend, trying 
to warm her up.
	"Don't worry, we'll stop them." Serena said, trying to lift the 
girl's spirits.
	"I'm sorry. I can't.. You'll have to fight them alone. I'm just so 
cold." 
	"Mercury, you can't. I can't face  them without you." Serena whined. 
	"If you use the crystal, you can." Darien said. Serena looked at him, 
confused.
	"What crystal? What are you talking about?" 
	"Serena, you have to remember. The Silver Imperium Crystal. Please, 
you have to remember." Darien said. Serena shook her head.
	"I don't. I can't remember any crystal." She said. 
	"We need it. Serena, please. Just try." Darien said. She shut her 
eyes, trying to remember something, anything. Nothing. She couldn't 
remember anything about any crystal. She shook her head sadly.
	"I'm sorry. I just don't remember." she said again, feeling 
completely useless.
	"That's not good enough Serena." Mercury said in a surprisingly harsh 
tone. 
	"Ami?" she asked, in surprise. The girl held up her hand, palm facing 
Serena.
	"Stop being so selfish Serena. You have to remember. I don't care why 
you can't, it's not a good enough reason. You've got to remember. There is 
no can't. You don't have any choices here. Grow up." she began to cough and 
shiver at once, feeling a wave of cold black pass over her. 
	"Serena, please don't let us down." She said softly, before closing 
her eyes. Serena called out to Ami, cried her name, but the girl was 
unconscious. 
	"Ami, I'm so sorry." she said as tears spilled down her cheeks. She 
turned to Darien, expecting comfort.
	"I can't remember. I tried but I can't." she said again. Reeny, 
seeing her broken state, gave Serena a hug. Darien knelt down to join the 
two, and brushed a strand of Serena's hair away from her eyes.
	"I know this is hard. But you have to remember. For Ami, for the 
girls, for your family. You're their last hope." He said, hating to put 
this pressure on her. 
	Something pounded behind them, and Serena jumped in fear. The door 
was being rammed. It's wood bent inward with the force. 
	"Where do we go now?" Serena asked, seeing that the room had no other 
doors. 
	"Darien, I'm scared. There's no where to go." Reeny said. Darien, 
tousled her hair affectionately.
	"I know." he said, standing up, and motioning towards the others to 
do the same. He stood defiantly in front of the door, waiting for their 
pursuers  to knock it down, readying himself for their attack. Serena stood 
by his side, and held his hand in hers, standing as close to him as she 
could. Reeny held her other hand, looking grimly at the door that was about 
to break any second.
	"Serena, transform." Darien ordered, holding his own rose in his 
hand. Serena was speechless. She still had no idea how he knew about Luna, 
and had tried to hide the fact that she was Sailor Moon all day from him, 
but now, she knew she had no choice. 
	"How do you know?" she asked, holding her locket. 
	"I just do." he said simply, disappointment setting in. He had hoped 
to make her love him without her knowing about Tuxedo Mask, to make sure 
she hadn't been influenced by her little crush on his alter ego. Now, he 
had no choice. He would never know.
	Serena transformed, her mind still stuck on Darien. She promised her 
self that she would protect him. Such a strange, strong urge. She wondered 
where it came from, why she felt like that. 
	'Because you love him.' Flashed through her head. She shook the 
thought away, scared at these emotions. 
	The door flew inwards, splinters of the wood flying. 
	"So this is where the rabbits have been hiding." Rubius said. Darien 
stood, still de-transformed, waiting for just the right moment to change. 
Sometimes, having the advantage of surprise was useful - and this was just 
that time.
	"I won't let you hurt them." Sailor Moon said with as much steel in 
her voice as she could muster. 'Have to be strong, have to be strong.' She 
repeated to herself, trying to stop that urge to just run away. Rubius 
laughed, then gathered his energy.
	"I want to kill you myself, after all the trouble you've caused. I 
don't know how you survived, but whatever it is that you did, it won't save 
you now." he said, letting the blast loose. Sailor Moon ducked to the side. 
Darien and Reeny had leapt to the other side out of harms way. 
	"Why haven't you transformed." Reeny whispered. 
	"I will, when they least expect it." Darien said quietly.
	Sailor Moon screamed as Rubius aimed another long beam of energy at 
her, hitting her square in the chest, unable to dodge this one after all 
her previous successes. She held her hands to tiara, using her only attack.
	"Moon Tiara Magic." She screamed, throwing the golden disk at Rubius. 
It missed, flying high over his head. Rubius laughed.
	"Pathetic, to think you'd beat me with that - argh" he fell to the 
ground as  the wall fell on top of him, burying him in the plaster and 
paint..
	"Right on target." Sailor Moon said happily, as she caught her tiara 
after it had hit the wall and dislodged a huge white plaster piece of it. 
Sailor Moon motioned for the others to follow her as she led them carefully 
through the door. Stepping out into the dark hallway, Sailor Moon felt arms 
encircle her too tightly and she screamed out.
	"Darien!" she cried, kicking with her legs. She twisted her head 
around to see what had caught her - a four eyed, four armed purple youma, 
all four arms wrapped tightly around her.
	"Serena!?" Darien said upon seeing her. Reeny poked her head out 
from behind Darien, hiding behind him. He held the rose in his pocket 
tightly.
	"Let her go." He growled, giving the youma it's first and only 
chance. It didn't even flinch.
	"Darien, go and get Reeny out of here." Sailor Moon said. She could 
see the terror in the girl's wide red eyes, her hand turning white as she
held tightly onto Darien's shirt. 
	"No Serena, I won't leave you." he said stubbornly. 
	"Go. Please, if you're hurt -  I love you, so, so go." she pleaded, 
not even thinking about what she was saying, her eyes shining with tears. 
Darien looked at her with dancing blue eyes. She had never seen him look 
like that, look so happy, even if it only flickered across his face for a 
moment before anger and fear took over his features. He turned his 
attention back towards the youma.
	"I warned you." he said menacingly. The youma didn't flinch. Darien 
grabbed the rose, transforming into Tuxedo Mask. 
	"I said, let her go." He said. He almost wanted to laugh at the 
bewildered look in Sailor Moon's eyes, but now was not the time. He could 
feel the familiar scent or the flower, the smooth feel of the stem in his 
hand, and let it fly, nailing the creature in its highest eyes, careful to 
avoid hitting Sailor Moon. The youma roared in rage as the flower embedded 
itself in its eye, dropping Sailor Moon as it's hands flew to it's injured 
face. Sailor Moon ran to his side.
	"Darien-" 
	"We'll talk later. Now, use your tiara and kill that thing." He said 
in a soft voice. She nodded, then threw her tiara at the creature, smashing 
the disk into it's eyes. The thing screamed and turned into dust. Sailor 
Moon smiled in relieved relief, then looked shyly at Tuxedo Mask, beginning 
to regret that outburst. She couldn't even understand why she had said it, 
only knew that she meant it.
	"Darien?" she said again, gaining courage to go up and lightly touch 
his mask, trace the bridge of his nose with her finger, feel the profile 
that she had always known yet never recognized.
	"Is that you?" she asked in wonder. He smiled. She could see such 
happiness, even behind the mask, in his face. He drew her into a tight hug, 
burying himself against her, smelling her hair, feeling it's soft caress 
under his chin, his hands firmly grasping her in a perfect fit, as though 
they had always belonged there.
	"I can hear my heart now." she said softly. "I know what it says." 
His hands found their way to her face, cupping it tenderly. She liked the 
warmth of his fingers, the way they felt, how they made her tingle. She 
could feel her heart beating, pounding against her ribs. She held her 
breath, turned her face up towards him, closed her eyes instinctively. 
	Tuxedo Mask watched her face change, an enigmatic ghost of a smile 
playing across it. He was captivated by her again, charmed by that simple,
hesitant  face. He leaned over and kissed her, slowly, hoping to make up 
for lost time, oblivious to everything else, her fingers  weaving warm, 
delightful patterns on his back, her lips nestled comfortably between his 
own, tears trickling her face and trailing salty paths down upon his own 
lips. 
	"Ahem, guys. This isn't the best place to be making out." Reeny said, 
clearing her throat, annoyed. Sailor Moon turned around, still in Tuxedo 
Mask's arms, a blush spreading over her like wild-fire. Tuxedo Mask simply 
smiled, a slightly quirky, lopsided, and incredibly cute grin across his 
face, happier than he had been in ages. 
	"We're coming Reeny." Sailor Moon said, still reluctant to leave 
Tuxedo Mask's arms. Before she had a chance to step away from him, he knelt 
down, his lips brushing softly against her ear.
	"I've missed you so much. Don't ever even think about losing you 
memories again." he said teasingly. 
	"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" she began, worried that she had done 
something wrong. Tuxedo Mask chuckled.
	"Hey, I'm just kidding around Serena. You've been driving me crazy 
these past few weeks." He said in a light voice. "I love you so much." He 
added, kissing her again briefly before letting her go, at Reeny's 
insistence. 
	"Come on, lets go!" Reeny said again, obviously eager to get moving. 
She didn't want to have to be there any longer than she had to. 
	"We're coming." Tuxedo Mask said, ducking back into the room where 
Rubius was still unconscious under the wall, and picking up the limp form 
of Mercury. 
	"I want to get out of here now!" Reeny  said when they had gotten 
everyone. The group made their way down the hall, each on their guard 
against any youma's or other threats. 
	"How do we get out of here?" Sailor Moon asked. Tuxedo Mask shifted 
Mercury's form in his arms.
	"The stairs?" he suggested, opening the doors to the emergency 
stairs. Sailor Moon went first, then Reeny, and Tuxedo Mask followed 
behind, running down the stairs as fast as they could until they hit the 
first floor. Sailor Moon flung the door open, careful not to step through, 
learning from experience. After being sure no one was there to grab her, 
she stepped forward out into the foyer that had begun the adventure.
	"Isn't it weird how no one's stopped us yet?" Sailor Moon said 
happily. "Not that I'm complaining or anything." she added quickly. 
	"Quite weird. If I hadn't ordered it myself, I would have executed 
the morons who had failed to capture you by now." the Wiseman said, 
stepping in between them and the door.
	"There is no way out, Sailor Moon. You can never get past my Black 
Energy Shields." He said. Sailor Moon looked towards Tuxedo Mask for help, 
scared out of her wits. Tuxedo Mask put Mercury down on the ground behind 
him.
	"Keep her safe Munchkin. I'm counting on you." Tuxedo Mask said to 
Reeny, motioning towards Mercury. 
	"I won't let you down." she said, leaning down beside her friend 
protectively. Tuxedo Mask put an arm around Sailor Moon's waist 
defensively, facing the Wiseman darkly.
	"Why are you doing this?" Sailor Moon asked. 
	"Why not. Power has always been attractive to me. You should be able 
to understand that." he said. Sailor Moon shook her head.
	"Not if it means hurting others." She said. 
	"Such naïve ideals. A shame you waste your life on them. Oh well. It 
won't matter anymore." He said, pointing his fingers at the two in front of 
him. Lightening shot out from them, racing directly towards Sailor Moon and 
Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask jumped, sailed high into the air, still holding 
Sailor Moon, who was holding him tightly around the neck. Lightening 
crashed again, hitting Tuxedo Mask in the back, and knocking them down to 
the ground.  
	"No!" screamed Reeny, still sitting  next to Mercury.
	"Darien?" Sailor Moon asked, unharmed and still in his protective 
grasp. She sat upright as did Tuxedo Mask, who groaned in pain at the 
effort. Wiseman laughed, pointing his fingers at the two again, as more 
lightening shot out of them. Sailor Moon, seeing this, threw herself in 
front of Tuxedo Mask, trying to protect him. The blast nailed her in the 
back, knocking her forward. She clutched Tuxedo Mask's gloved hand tightly, 
mouth set in grim determination, trying not to scream. She shut her eyes, 
waiting for the next blast, and the next after that. 
	It never came.
	Sailor Moon cautiously opened one eye.
	"Darien?" she asked, looking towards him. "What's he waiting for?" 
Tuxedo Mask shook his head.
	"He's toying with us. This isn't his style though.  He should have 
killed us by now. I don't understand." He said, standing up, looking at the 
wiseman, who seemed to be just standing there. Sailor Moon squinted at the 
cloaked man, noticing the soft purple light surrounding him, a thin aura 
that was barely noticeable framing his form. Her eyes grew wise as she saw 
this, and she pointed her fingers at him
	"Oh, look. He's glowing!" she said incredulously. Tuxedo Mask looked 
at the wiseman carefully, before making up his mind. He immediately grabbed
his rose and threw it at the Wiseman. It sped towards him, it's sharp 
dagger point cutting through the air, and then it bounced, crushed by the 
impact  it made against some invisible force. 
	"What happened?" Sailor Moon asked.
	"I don't know. Try your Tiara." Tuxedo Mask suggested, still worried. 
Something just wasn't right here. The Wiseman wouldn't just sit there 
without a reason. He was too smart for that. There was something going on. 
He just didn't know what, and that scared him. The metallic ping of metal 
brought him out of his thoughts.
	"It didn't work. It just bounced right off him!" she said tearfully. 
Tuxedo Mask took her hand and glanced one last time at the Wiseman.
	"Let's get out of here. Now." he said. Sailor Moon nodded her head in 
agreement. He pulled her forward.
	"Try and find a way out through these shields." He ordered, trying to 
open the door unsuccessfully. He threw his roses at it, but they bounced 
off the shields harmlessly. For some reason, his senses were going nuts, 
his instincts telling him to hurry and get out of there, that danger was 
fast approaching. He kicked at the shield in frustration as the pounding 
in his ears grew louder. 
	"It's stronger than before." Sailor Moon said, replacing her tiara 
that obviously hadn't made a crack in the wall.
	"What are we going to do?" she asked. Behind her, Reeny began to 
cough loudly. Both Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask turned around and were at 
her side in a minute. Sailor Moon knelt on one knee beside her and began 
rubbing her back.
	"Are you all right?" she asked. Reeny continued to cough, unable to 
speak. Her crescent moon began to glow faintly.
	"What's wrong with her?" Sailor Moon asked. 
	"I don't know." Tuxedo Mask said. Sailor Moon began pulling at her 
costume, acutely aware that it was seriously tight.
	"Is it getting hot in here?" she asked. She suddenly felt 
light-headed, and put a hand to her head. 
	"Serena?" Tuxedo Mask asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She 
shook it off. 
	"I'm fine." she said, turning her attention back to Reeny. The girl
was silent, her eyes beginning to glaze over slightly, a flush rising to he 
cheek.
	"I don't feel good." Reeny mumbled, burying her head against Sailor 
Moon. Sailor Moon put her arms around the little girl, trying to ward off 
her own nausea. 'What's happening to us?' she wondered. 
	"Quite simple my dear. You are dying, and this time, you will not be 
reborn. I have made sure of that. Not you, your king, your scouts or your 
brat." The wiseman said, his raspy voice filled with anticipation. Sailor 
Moon turned sharply to face him.
	"How did you . . . ?"
	"Nothing is hidden from me, not even your own mind. It betrays you 
even now." he said. "You are so ignorant, still such a child. This almost 
seems too easy. I don't understand why we couldn't destroy you before." 
Wiseman said. He waved his arms in the direction of the wall, and a window 
appeared letting the three see out into the dead city. People were slumped 
on the ground, sprawled out everywhere, not moving. Sailor Moon averted her 
gaze away, gasping, nearly crying.
	"They will all be dead, and no-one will be able to stop me." Wiseman 
said. "This city will be mine."
	"It's terrible." She said softly. Tuxedo Mask held her tightly in an 
over-protective manner. He noticed that her moon sign was glowing as well, 
so faintly, but there.
	"Stop this. What are you doing to them?" he said angrily. 
	"I'm killing them. And you too. But, being of the moon, they are more 
susceptible to my gas. But, since you will die along with them soon enough, 
I don't see the harm in telling you. Even I have to indulge my own ego and 
pride." Wiseman said, laughing. He seemed to truly be enjoying himself. 
'Finally, after all my waiting and planning, I will have it all.' He 
thought.
	"I had to make sure that none of you are reborn, and this magic, 
strong, powerful magic, mixed with the poison slowly infecting everyone 
but the inhabitants of the nega-moon, will make sure your soul dies along 
with these bodies of yours. And then, who will be left to stop me from 
ruling?" he said. Then leaning closer in, as though relating some 
confidential secret, "And there is no cure. All these imbeciles in 
Tokyo -dead. And the Queen - why she's dead too!" Tuxedo Mask could feel 
his finger tips biting into his palms, trying to control the urge to 
brutally hurt the old man. He was enjoying this, taunting them. And he 
was completely untouchable, the glow still emanating from him, protecting 
him. All they could do was wait for the inevitable.  Sailor Moon was 
crying softly, one arm loosely around him, another around Reeny, who was 
coughing again. 
	"Darien, I'm scared. I don't want to lose you." Sailor Moon said, 
her voice shaking. 
	"As you should be Sailor Moon." the wiseman said, looking at her in 
disgust. 'Pitiful.' He thought contemptuously. 'To think that we could not 
beat her in battle, that we had to use a poison, even if it was the only 
way to defeat her - and in war, there is no pride. In this war, we did what 
we had to do to win.' He wished he could stop them from making some sort of 
sappy, pathetic scene, tear them away from each other, rip their hearts out 
before he took their souls, but then he would only be able to watch one of 
them die. So he gave them their moment, despite the nauseating  pain it 
gave his stomach.
	Tuxedo Mask began to cough slightly, trying to hide the fact that he 
was beginning to be affected by the poison. Every possible plan to defeat 
the wiseman all just didn't work. He had no idea what else to do, what 
could beat him - except for the crystal, which wasn't an option. If Sailor 
Moon had it, she would have used it by now. So now, what could he do, 
besides give up? What other options were left?
	"I'll find you again. I swear." Tuxedo Mask vowed, holding Sailor 
Moon close to him, wanting to feel her beside him before it was too late. 
He leaned down, closing his eyes, and kissed her, losing himself in her for 
the moment, all thoughts of the events of the day forgotten. He felt warm 
and safe, as though the sun was shining on him, as though he were smiling 
on the inside, and golden raindrops were spilling over him. How he loved 
her.
	Sailor Moon knew that she had to protect him. She couldn't lose him; 
she refused to lose the scouts, to lose her family. She just wanted to keep 
them all safe. She loved them, and you're supposed to protect the ones you 
love. She would die to keep just Darien safe, give her life if it would let 
him live only one more day. How she loved him.
	"What! What is this?" The wiseman  screeched in rage. The two were 
glowing, a soft white light enveloping the two. He shot a bolt of 
lightening at them, but the blast died as it hit the light. 
	Something stirred in Sailor Moon's heart, something forgotten, 
something powerful. Things were going in slow motion. She slowly broke away 
from Tuxedo Mask, and raised her arms towards the sky, her fingers 
outstretched,  moving as though underwater. 'I'll fix everything. I don't 
know how, but I'll save them all.' She said to herself, determined. 
	Tuxedo Mask stared at her in awe. Sailor Moon, floating inches off 
the ground, her eyes shut, her face serene, and in her hands, the crystal. 
His princess, so beautiful. Did she remember? He could hear her calling to 
him faintly, asking him for strength. 'Help me, as you helped me so long 
ago.' And he closed his own eyes, feeling something bright fill him, 
something that was a deep  part of him, then leave him in a single, 
powerful wave.
	The crystal Sailor Moon held suddenly was hit by a beam of pure white 
light.  It glowed brightly, pulsed, and when the light died, had grown 
larger, the size of Sailor Moon's fist. Her eyes flew open, facing down 
Wiseman.
	"Please, stop this." she said, giving him one last chance. Her voice 
was full of compassion. "Heal them all. There's no reason for any of 
this." 
	He threw a bolt of energy, vast and black and bottomless, at her, 
making his decision. She closed her eyes, concentrating, the moon sign 
glowing, as a wall of pure crystal grew in front of her.
	"So that is how you learned that. Did that  trick save you from death 
before?" Wiseman asked, attacking ineffectually again. She blocked it again 
with the power of the crystal, this time not only stopping with the defense, but using her considerable offensive powers. She let loose a steady beam of light, tunneling it towards him from the crystal. It crashed against his own shield, meeting it's match. The black energy began to battle it's way forward, slowly making it's way closer and closer to her.
	'Please let me be strong enough. Please let me do this, let me win.' 
She thought, almost screaming out in frustration. She wasn't strong enough. 
Even with Darien's part of the crystal, his half of the love that was the 
basis of the crystal's power, it wasn't enough. What more could she do? She 
cried out in her mind, searching blindly, trying to find something to 
fortify her, trying to remember whatever she had to know to face this evil 
down.  She remembered her mother, Queen Serenity, and her sacrifice for her 
daughter. She remembered her scouts, her best friends in the world, and 
Luna and Artemis, her brother and parents of this time. She remembered 
Andrew and Lizzy and Molly and Melvin, and Matt, who she liked, but only as 
a friend. She remembered Darien and everything they had shared, how he had 
so sweetly made her fall in love with him all over again. She couldn't let 
them die - she loved them too much to lose them all. 
	The room shook as the light exploded in a small nova of white. The 
magical blast burst out the windows, shattering them in one swift second, 
past all the shields the Wiseman had placed, showering the world in it's 
silvery light. Tuxedo Mask could feel memories crashing into him, not his 
own, but Sailor Moon's memories, and the power of them were like a fuel 
more powerful than any other substance on earth, so filled with love were 
they. Her power had grown even more, and was dangerously close to the 
Wiseman, almost engulfing him. Her hair whipped around her like  a halo, 
the power of her crystal creating a powerful wind as she battled the 
Wiseman. He was but a small dark spot in a sea of white, screaming out in 
anger.
	"I will return Sailor Moon, I guarantee." He said quickly, before 
disappearing in a column of black light. 
	Sailor Moon lowered her hands, letting the crystal float back into 
its proper place, then lightly returned to the floor, standing shakily on 
her own two feet. Tuxedo Mask stood beside her, wrapping an arm around her 
to steady her. He could tell that if he let her go now, she would surely 
collapse.
	"Serena?" he asked, remembering what had happened the last time she 
had used the crystal that much. She looked too pale to him, too weak.  She 
rested her head against him, her head over his heart.
	"I remembered." She said softly, smiling. He returned the look 
lovingly then coughed again, still feeling the effects of the poison that 
was slowly dying inside him. It was as though he had been healed. Perhaps 
he had. The crystal! Serena must have healed him. But what about the 
others? Had she healed the entire city? Could she heal an entire city? 
Behind him, someone stirred and groggily got to her feet.
	"Is it over?" Mercury asked, sounding spent. She smiled as she saw 
the happy couple in front of her, then pulled out her computer, typing 
away.
	"It seems that we're all healed. My God Serena how did you heal 
everyone in Tokyo? What did you do with the poison?" Mercury exclaimed. 
Sailor Moon merely smiled. Mercury turned back to her computer.
	"The north pole? You locked it in a crystal in the north pole? I 
don't believe you Serena." Mercury said. 
	"You said freezing it was the only way to stop it. So I did. And you 
complain that I never learn anything. Something to do with cell division 
slowing down or something, right?" Sailor Moon said happily. Mercury held 
her hand to her head.
	"Honestly Serena, I don't know what we're going to do with you." she 
said exasperatedly. But Sailor Moon didn't even seem to care. She was in a 
world of her own in the arms of Tuxedo Mask. Mercury held out her hand for 
Reeny to take.
	"Come on, let's go find the others." She said.
	"Yeah, they probably want to make out again." Reeny said in a low 
tone. Sailor Moon turned her head around and stuck her tongue out at 
Reeny.
	"I heard that spore." Sailor Moon said.
	"Well it's true Meat-ball head." Reeny said.
	"It's good to know things are back to normal." Mercury sighed, 
leading Reeny out of the room. Sailor Moon let her head fall back against 
Tuxedo Mask, and held onto him, both standing there silently for a moment, 
enjoying each other's presence. Slowly, Sailor Moon backed up, still 
holding his hands, and looked up at Tuxedo Mask, their eyes meeting.
	"Darien, did you really think that I wouldn't love you if we weren't 
who we are?" she asked, choosing her words very carefully. 
	"I don't know. I love you so much, just you, Serena, but you never 
had any reason to like me I guess." He said. Sailor Moon again pulled him 
into an embrace, this time fiercely hugging him.
	"But you gave me one these last few weeks. This time, you can be sure 
that I fell in love with you, Darien Chiba." She said. "And don't you ever 
forget it." She smiled as an idea crossed her mind. She stood on the tips 
of her toes, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. She 
released him, a look of surprise plastered over his features that gave her 
some odd satisfaction, and she beamed at him.
	"What was that for?" he asked, almost breathless. 'I love her!' he 
thought, the phrase repeating itself over and over.
	"Well, if you ever lose your memories, I figured you'd at least be 
able to remember that." she said, giggling. Tuxedo Mask smiled.
	"Well, if that's the case," he said playfully, pulling her close and 
holding her tightly, "since you seem to be the most current amnesiac around 
here . . ." 
	
	"The End"


	Wow, it's done - wowowow - the longest thing I've ever written I 
think- so what do you guys say? Yeah, nay, icky ending - or was it 
massively cool? Should I continue to put off my Calculus to write - or 
turn into another Ami - it's all up to you, just send me an e-mail and 
tell me what you guys thought of the story. All comments are way welcome, 
(yes, even negative ones) and thanks to everyone who wrote me - Lianne, 
Sailor November, Talon (my way cool proof reader person) Princess Serenity,
Laurel, and a whole crew of others that is just way too long to name. 

Later all!

Razzz