Author's Note:
        Hello all!  Thank you for taking the time to come and read my fanfiction.  This particular
story is an alternative ending to the whole Darien and Serena break-up thingy during the time of
the Dark Moon Family.  I did not care for the way Serena pined over Darien when she didn't do
anything wrong and then he didn't even apologize to her and acted like he was the one taking her
back.  So, I turned the tables and tweaked the plot a little.  I tend to do that.  :)  In all honesty, I
tweaked it a lot!  Those of you who found Darien acting like a total jerk in the anime get back
together scene, will find this story to your liking ------> I hope!!
        If you have read any of my other stories, you will note that I consider Darien to be sweeter
than DIC and the television series portrayed him.  It really got me angry the way they jerked
around Naoko Takeuchi's character in the manga.  So I prefer to write Darien with the manga
version's characteristics.  This story doesn't deal much with sex or violence or foul language,
although there is a little bit of each in here (unless of course this is the hentai version.  I write
hentai versions and non-hentai versions for all my stories.  That way there's something for
everyone, but it would have specified earlier if it was the H version.)  If asked to give a rating I
would say between PG or PG-13.  I use only I think two curse words so I would be leaning
towards PG.  But then again, it isn't about my criteria, it's about yours.
        Want to write me about my stories?  Great!  My e-mail is Emilywaldon69@hotmail.com.
Feel free to write me about any subject.  And I WILL ANSWER YOU!!  It really steams me
when people are nice enough to write to authors about their stories and they never get answered.
And don't worry.  If you thought my story sucked, tell me.  I'd like constructive criticism so that
way I can improve.  If you are a writer yourself, feel free to send me your stories if you need
someone to proof read them.  I do ask that most of what you send me is related to Darien or
Serena.  Others are fine, but I would probably not be the best person to give constructive advise
about things that aren't Darien or Serena driven.  I might be putting up a website soon myself, so
I'll keep you posted on that.
        Finally, I would like to make it known that I was not in any way a part of the creation of
Sailor Moon.  The show and manga were brought to you by Naoko Takeuchi, Bandai, Kodansha,
and all their related companies.  If you were a part of the creation, and would like credit, I will
add your name gladly.  Any characters I made up and were not part of the original series are mine
and the story is mine, but other than that, it is not owned by me at all.  Well thank you for your
time!  Now, on with the fanfic!
 
 

Prologue...

        Darien glanced down at the lifeless body in the coffin, HER coffin and felt his heart rise to
his throat.  It was the first time his eyes had been forced to look upon this girl, this child.  He
desperately tried to hold back a sob, but couldn't seem to manage.  The noise he produced wasn't
loud, but it was there; and the anguish he felt as he stared down at her lovely face, now lifeless,
and slightly blue, had filled that noise.  Darien's body was tense and rigid, hands clenched, one of
them gripping the life out of a handkerchief, and arms clung to his sides.  His muscles ached from
their stiffness and constant strain.  His eyes stung from the tears that had consumed him the night
before, and the night before that, and the night before that... all the way back until the night she
died.  It was his fault, he knew.  He knew it was because of what he'd done, as good intentioned
as he had been.  But what was the point of carrying good intentions if it had ended up with her in
a coffin?  The finality of her death began to set in as he gazed at her, lying there.  Dead.  He
couldn't believe that was it.  That couldn't be it.  There had always been something he could do,
could say, could think that would make events turn out favorable.  Was it possible that at the early
age of eighteen, the best part of his life was already over?  Yes.  The best part was over.  What
did he have left?
        Darien bent his head further over her motionless body.  He felt another pang of guilt clout
his unfed stomach.  She was beautiful in white.  He sucked back a sob and slowly dipped down
and kissed her cheek.  It was like brushing his lips against ice itself.  A cold chill swept through
him and he rose back up.  He sobbed loudly now, unable to stop it, then lost control. He felt his
body collapse over her, head pressed against her icy chest and listened for a heartbeat in vain.  He
sobbed and screamed her name, begging her to come back.  Didn't she understand?  She couldn't
just leave!  Not now!  Not EVER!...  And what of the others?  They wanted her back, too.
        But it was over, Darien knew.  He slowly lifted his head from her body and sobbed a few
times more, not wanting to leave.  The others had allowed him to be alone with her, although they
secretly thought he despised her, now.  He couldn't blame them.  His actions had articulated just
that.  Until now.  Darien took one last glance at her and touched her cheek with the back of his
right hand and stroked it gently.  "I will visit you everyday, and make sure that you always have
fresh roses on your grave, my love.  I will love you eternally, even though you're not here.  There
will never be another.  These are promises I make to you, and I will keep them, unlike the others I
made.  Please, forgive me for that, Serena."  With that, Darien turned and ran out of the room in
sobs.

@)>------<<---------

Chapter 1

 Prince Darien gathered Serena in his arms.  They had just made love for the first time as a
married couple.  They were honeymooning on Venus and they were in the most elaborate and
exotic hotel room either of them had ever seen.  Although the lights were off, their room was
illuminated by the soft glow of vanilla candles burning all around them.  Their satin sheets, a deep
red, in the most romantic and exquisite room on Venus.  Now, they just laid there next to each           other as they ran their hands over each other's bodies.  Darien whispered sweet nothings to his
Princess and she giggled with delight.  They made love until the candles burned low and
eventually out.  They fell asleep in each other's arms.  The last thing Serena heard before they
drifted off was Darien whispering, "I love you, Princess.  I have loved you since the first time I
saw you, and I will love you forever.  Not even death could separate us.  My feelings will run
eternal." ~~~~~

        "If only that were true." Serena spoke aloud bitterly to herself as she rested uncomfortably in
her bed.  She felt yet another warm tear swell in her eye as she lay there.  She was surprised that
she still had tears left.  She had practically cried all night, every night since Darien told her that he
did not want to see her anymore.  She turned onto her side and leaned her head into the pillow,
her feet accidentally bumping the sleeping cat at the edge of her bed.
        Light from the city and the moon filtered in through the window, casting a slight glow on her
pink covers.  Serena tossed and turned, unsettled in a bed of rocks as she tried desperately to
think of any reason that Darien... HER Darien was treating her the way he was.  He and she had
been so in love on the Moon...  She knew Darien did not yet remember the details of their love on
the Moon though.  He did not remember the passionate nights they had spent in her chambers,
being careful not to alert anyone of their lovemaking.  He did not remember the way they had
fallen in love, even though it was forbidden at the time.  He did not remember the way that she
had faked her death to run away with him when he was exiled for treason, for loving her.  Prince
Darien had lost his memory and both he and Serena thought that he was but a commoner when
they first met.  This was how he had been presented to the Court when her abusive fiancé caught
them sleeping together.
        Serena couldn't help but wonder if things would be different now, on Earth, if he did
suddenly remember.  Serena felt a strangled cry escape her throat.  She managed to bury it in the
pillow, leaving her guardian on the bed none the wiser.
        'What did I do?  Why does he reject me now?' Serena silently wondered in her head.  She felt
the sweat on her neck get cold as a rush of cool air swept by when she turned, once again.  She
thought back to when this entire nightmare started.

Never mind the exact details of the day.  Serena couldn't recall them if her life dangled by a hair
on that very task.  That day was the worst of not one, but two of her lives.  The only
semi-accurate comparison she could attempt was that she felt worse than the day Queen Serenity
had banished her beloved Tuxedo Mask from the Moon Kingdom for treason.  But even that
feeling paled in comparison to the feeling of true abandonment.  As he had been ripped from her
before on the Moon, he now left voluntarily.  It was no longer the stubborn fact of 'couldn't', but
'wouldn't' or 'didn't want to'.  That day she knew a piece of her died that would never come to life
again under any amount of healing.  The thought that even for a second, Darien believed he no
longer loved her, was enough to bring a lifetime of heartache to Serena.  She had asked him if she
should change, she remembered that.  She was desperate to find a reason, because he produced
none other than, "I just don't have the same feelings for you anymore."
        Practically Serena's whole life had flashed before her eyes.  She saw Prince Darien and her
speaking their wedding vows of commitment.  She felt the tingle of Darien's kisses as they had
been bestowed upon her when Darien had recently regained his memory.  She recalled also the
pain and suffering she had endured when he could not remember her and she had to fight with
Ann.  It had all been for nothing, she realized with a small gasp.  She had won, saved his life yet
again, and gotten his memory back... And it was for nothing.  Unappreciated.  SHE was
unappreciated.  The fact that she had spent most of her life trying to help him meant nothing.
Tears flooded her blue eyes.  Then she saw him being torn away from her when Queen Beryl had
tried to blast her and Darien had taken the blow.  She felt herself floating up to him reaching out
for him to grasp her hand.  Except this time, he did not take her hand in his.  He did not tell her
how much he loved her.  When they were blasted again, Darien did not scream her name as she
did for him.  She felt her body cripple as it had done from Queen Beryl's blast now, on the side
walk.  She sank to the ground and could barely breathe.  She was sure she was going to die.
Somehow, she managed to lift the head of her now lifeless body and look into his face.  He
avoided her eyes, as he to not see her cry.  "Is this a joke, Darien?" she asked innocently.  He
eventually walked away, leaving her there.
        Serena recalled spending an uncountable amount of time in a phone booth, crying until her
body was too exhausted to cry anymore.  Finally, Serena glanced out of the booth and spotted a
small flyer that had landed by her in a gust of wind.  It was an ad for a new beauty salon.  Serena
decided she would try the place and see what she could do to her appearance to make herself
more appealing to Darien.  She forced her tired muscles to work, despite their desperate pleas to
stay in place.  Her throat sore, cheeks puffy, and eyes red and scratchy, she dragged herself down
the street until she came to the address shown.  She sighed bemusedly at her actions and entered
the salon.
        It was just Serena's luck that this happened to be the new focus of the Negamoon's attacks.
She attempted to defeat the droid, but found it too hard to concentrate, her body too weak to
fight.  Then, to her relief and misplaced bliss, Tuxedo Mask saved her and helped her to defeat her
attacker.  Of course, Serena took this as a sign of his love for her, which Tuxedo Mask quickly
quelled by telling her that he did not love her but was rather doing what needed to be done for the
safety of the planet.  This crushed Serena but she vowed to try to get him back.  After all, in her
mind, they were destined to be together... forever.
        However, Darien did not think so and he made that quite clear through his cold actions the
next time they met in battle.  Tuxedo Mask had kept a concerned Sailor Moon from jumping into
a fight and helping Sailor Mars.  Sailor Moon felt a small ounce of anger begin to rise in her, for
he seemed more confident in Mars than he ever did in her.  He had never pulled anyone back from
helping her.  Feelings of hurt and angst extirpated this emotion posthaste, however.  She felt tears
once again build in her eyes and she nibbled on her index finger through it's glove in nervousness.
With a shaky voice she thanked him for his help, considering the way he felt about her.  The
comment seemed to anger him more than anything else, to Sailor Moon's astonishment.  Both she
and Mars stood there dumbfounded for several minutes as Tuxedo Mask growled and exited.
        Mars sensed there was something amiss, but said nothing.  She knew Darien still loved
Serena deeply, but for some reason felt the need to hide it and push her away.  'She's too young
now.  On the Moon, their age difference was normal, but now, unacceptable in the eyes of other
people.  Poor guy.  He's trying to protect her.  But why doesn't he just explain that, or see her in
secret?' Mars thought to herself.  Then realizing that her ears were throbbing, Mars jolted off of
her train of thought.  Serena had now fallen on the ground and wailing for all she was worth.
Raye rolled her eyes.  "Thanks a lot, DARIEN." Raye muttered in an annoyed tone that only she
could have pulled off.  The comment was inaudible to the screaming one, who was now quieting
and wiping her eyes.  She bent down and helped Serena to her feet.  She led her back inside, only
then fathoming the hurt that Serena felt at this moment.  Raye almost wanted to cry herself,
remembering the way she felt when she discovered Serena was the Moon Princess and Darien was
rightfully hers.  And her pain had only been of someone losing a crush!  Raye realized she couldn't
begin to understand the misery Serena was feeling.  'Poor girl...  Must be heartbroken.' Raye
thought to herself.
        Serena's heart was an unending spiral of misery.  Rini had taken over her life.  Rini came just
before all of these happenings began; two events that Serena was sure were not unrelated.
        The day Darien broke up with her, she had gone to his apartment to see what could be done
to save their relationship.  She had seen Rini's shoes at the door and felt a flood of new emotions
consume her being.  She was angry at Rini for imposing on her home, her life, and now her
boyfriend.  She felt a jealous rage as she realized Rini was closer to Darien than she was now.
Then there was the agony of knowing that Darien would abandon her and replace her for this
child.  She told Darien she felt like Rini had replaced her and then regretted the statement, for she
realized Rini was probably eavesdropping on their conversation.  Darien told her not to be
ridiculous and threw her out.  Rini now taunted Serena by throwing Darien in her face at every
available opportunity.  Although Serena realized what Rini was doing, she drank in every
minuscule detail about the man she loved.  It was her only way to know how he was, considering
Darien would not even speak to Serena unless Rini was the topic of conversation.
        Rini was spoiled by her parents, who seemed to favor the child over their own offspring;
both Sammy and Serena.  Sammy got along better with Rini than Serena, which was not always
due to Serena's attitude; although Luna only scolded Serena on her behavior, you really couldn't
blame Serena.  Rini behaved worse for Serena than anyone else, in so doing winning over the
Scouts by behaving for them.  Serena had no one to turn to, no confidant.  She felt alone in the
world.  The only one who might have listened was not even aware that Serena had the burdens of
being a Sailor warrior; Molly.  Rini took over Serena's life and Serena got the blame consistently.
        Serena spent her nights tossing and turning in bed, unable to reach even the threshold of
sleep.  Her cat was not unaware of Serena's pain.  Sometimes she would try to comfort the girl,
others, merely leave to rest on the comfortable and quiet sofa of the living room.  Serena would
most of the time be able to stifle her cries of loneliness and heartbreak, but once or twice a night
at least, she would make audible noises of agony that were too pained to be contained by her
pillow.  Serena got very little sleep
        One day Serena returned home, only to be informed by her cat that Rini had not been picked
up yet.  Serena groaned and rolled her eyes.  'Let the brat suffer in the rain, for once.' Serena
thought bitterly, but quickly scolded herself for thinking such a thing.  She glanced out the
window and saw the rain picking up.  She was not particularly thrilled at the prospect of having to
face the weather again.  Serena slowly managed to move from the sitting position she was in and
rise to her feet.  She thumped to the door and reached for her green raincoat.  She sighed as she
reluctantly opened the door and ventured out into the storm.  She was hit with a gust of cold air
as the door opened.  The temperature had dropped even lower than before, but she continued on
her way, towards the day care school, despite her shivers.
        Serena finally reached the school, after what her mind considered to be an eternity.  She
scanned the area for Rini.  She was not in her usually assigned pick-up spot.  'She probably went
inside to escape the cold.' Serena rationalized.  Serena climbed the few steps and ventured inside
the school.  It was dark, to Serena's surprise.  "Hello?  Rini?  Are you in here?" Serena called.
Serena looked around a bit before giving up and heading back outside.  She glanced at the
surrounding area one last time before calling again.  "Rini?"
        "Great.  I have to look for her out in the rain?" Serena huffed bitterly as she searched her
rain coat for a coin.  Maybe she could use a pay-phone and see if her mother had already picked
Rini up and was now home.
        However, Serena was rudely informed by her brother Sammy, that Rini was not back yet.
Serena kept having Sammy repeat himself because the sound of the rain drumming was so loud
that she was unable to hear.  She was sharply ordered to not call again because she had made him
loose his Sailor V video game.  Serena hung up the phone and stepped out of the phone booth,
once again feeling a chill from the fierce wind.
        Serena groaned in frustration with the child as she now had to, once again, search for her,
now under harsh conditions.  'Why can't she ever just do what she's told?' Serena silently
pondered.  Puddles began to form on the concrete sidewalks.  Every so often Serena would step
in one and end up soaking her legs.  Normally, Serena would have loved splashing in the puddles,
but now it was a nuisance.  She focused her eyes on the ground, as she was trying to avoid further
splashes when she bumped full force into someone on the street corner with an umbrella.
        Serena began to apologize profusely when she looked up and focused on who she had
crashed into.  Darien.  (~ Like we all didn't see THIS coming! ~)  She stumbled a little ways back,
almost loosing her balance.  Her mind flooded with emotions and thoughts, all very different in
nature; sadness at the remembrance of the way he used to feel with his arms around her,
frustration at her inability to unmask the reasons why he had to distant, angry because of his
betrayal, and the uncontrollable urge to throw her body against him and bring his lips to hers.
Serena was in such a fuss that when a large thunder crash sounded, she jumped... right into
Darien, for support.
        To her relief, Darien held her.  'Maybe he does care about me.  Maybe everything's as it was.'
Serena's light began to return to her, but then Darien pushed her away coldly, returning her being
to it's previous state.  Serena held back a few tears.  That's when Darien spoke, "Serena we can't
do this anymore... Yadda Yadda Yadda" Darien's words fell unheard upon Serena's ears.  She
knew what he was trying to say.  She tuned back in to the lecture just as he started spouting how
a little girl was missing and she shouldn't be worried about who he liked more.  Serena,
unknowingly, had spoken her mind as far as her suspicions of Darien's betrayal.  Darien took off
down the street before Serena could stop him.  She ran after, to look for Rini together.
        They found her much later, in a building that the Scout's occupied.  Droid Thunder Clap was
attempting to get Rini, but Sailor Moon, the Scouts, and Tuxedo Mask saved her.  "Always have
to get hurt because she gets herself in trouble." Sailor Moon silently complained.  The scouts
transformed back to their normal selves and they all began to take a walk under the now bright
sun.  Tuxedo Mask, still in warrior form, walked ahead of them with Rini.  To Serena's dismay,
she saw Tuxedo Mask drink in every movement, every sound, every stupid song that Rini
produced.  Serena looked on with intense jealousy and a strong sense of dereliction.  She sighed
and decided to head home.  She knew she was going to break soon and she didn't want any
lectures, groans, or looks from the Peanut Gallery.
        Serena ran up the stairs to her bedroom, ignoring the seemingly endless questions from her
cat and locked herself in.  There, in the safety of her room she sobbed.  She felt her body convulse
and she collapsed on her bed, face buried in her pillow.  It was going to be a long night.
        This type of behavior continued.  Rini continued to be a brat and cause friction between her
and her parents.  Serena was constantly paying for things that Rini did or started.  It was certainly
not the kind of TLC a broken hearted Serena needed right then.  Rini continued pestering and it
only worsened.  Soon Rini befriended the scouts and Serena had nobody to complain about her
to, nobody to confide in.  Serena desperately needed someone in her corner, to emotionally
support her weakened and battered soul.  But the more Rini acted out, the more Luna would
lecture Serena on what she was doing wrong.  Serena began to cry herself to sleep at night, not
sure if anyone even cared about her.  She was so broken inside.  Her muscles were always
exhausted from the constant strain of tension they were kept in.  Her stomach began to cause her
sharp, stabbing pains, an ulcer, she was sure.  She could do nothing for it though.  Every time she
tried to tell someone, she'd either be balled out by Luna for exaggerating, or get interrupted by
Rini when she told her parents.
        If that wasn't bad enough, Rini became very close with Darien.  Serena saw herself slowly
being replaced by Rini as far as Darien's time and thoughts were concerned.  Whenever they
happened to meet, he would ask about Rini's well being rather than hers.  "If you only knew the
pain I feel, Darien." Serena screamed one night in her sleep.  She awoke in a cold sweat, her
nightgown wet and sticky, clinging to her skin.  Her hair damp, the slight odor of perspiration
reached her nose.  Serena dragged herself up, slowly, forced to take extra time due to the now
severe pain in her side.  She took a shower, knowing full well she would not sleep anymore.
        The next day, Serena ran into Darien on a bridge by his apartment.  She had wrestled with
possible reasons as to why he had distanced himself from her.  Was it her hair?  Her looks?  The
way she ate?  Her laugh?  Her clumsiness?  Now Serena confronted him.  He avoided her eyes
and merely turned around, annoyed by her presence, or so it seemed to Serena, as was his intent.
Darien took off running in the opposite direction and left Serena sulking on the bridge.
        Later that day, Serena couldn't concentrate.  She kept thinking of they way Darien had just
shut off his emotions to her.  She was going through internal agony at the informal meeting.
Eventually Serena blurted out, "Hey you guys, why do think Darien no longer cares for me?"
This comment only elicited scolding from Luna and various, "What?" 's from her friends.  Serena
put her head down in shame and was about to cry.
        The sound of a motorcycle cut through her thoughts, enraging her.  She was already to the
boiling point.  Her nerves were gone, completely burned out from the last months of constant,
never ceasing emotional trauma that she had been unable to express to anyone.  Now it exploded,
"How am I supposed to THINK with all that noise?  STOP THAT RACKET!!!" she yelled in
annoyance.  Darien lifted up the visor on his helmet, revealing he was the one on the motor bike.
Serena felt anguish rush over her as she realized she had just scolded the man she was trying to
win back.  To make matters Darien had already seemed to have moved on.  There was an
attractive young red head tightly clinging to his waist on the back of the motorcycle.  Serena
couldn't think.  Her world caved in on itself over again.  She wanted nothing more than to crawl
into a black hole and close the opening, leaving the agonizing emotions outside.  Then came the
worst blow of all.  Unknowingly she had said Darien's name out loud.
        "Who is she Darien?" the girl asked.
        "Just some girl I know." he replied.  How COULD he be so cold?  I had saved him from a
life of poverty on the Moon.  I was his wife on the Moon.  I gave my life for him when Beryl
attacked the Kingdom.  I had gently tended him before he was kidnapped by the Negaverse.  I
healed him from the spell Beryl had put on him, never once considering that giving up was an
option.  I saved his life by defeating Queen Beryl.  I pined away for him and fought Ann for him.
I let his memory once again be restored, and I'm JUST some GIRL HE KNOWS?!?!?!
        Serena's heart raced with both anger and depression as she looked into Darien's now stone
cold eyes.  She had seen that expression on his face before.  It  was the same look he had given
her the first time they met on the Moon after his memory loss.  He had hated everyone back than
and she was no different to him.  He had warmed up eventually but it had taken some work.
        Now he glared at her, as if mocking her with this, this, this... bitch clinging to him.  She felt
every nerve in her body, no matter how already frayed, crumble worse, and she broke down.  As
he drove away with the girl, she heard her friends gasp in horror as they gained a glimpse of the
pain that she was feeling at that moment.  They finally understood but a portion of what Serena
had been through these past months.  Serena gathered every last bit of energy she had in her and
took off down the street, tears flooding down her cheeks.  She must have tripped and fallen eight
times before reaching her home.  She managed to stumble up the stairs and get to her room.
Sammy was the only one home.
        Sammy was the only one in the household to hear Serena's cries and low screams for her
love at night.  Rini, now had her own room, despite the fact she preferred Serena's bed.  Luna
occasionally slept with Serena now, but mostly spent her nights outside somewhere.  His room
was next to Serena's, his headboard touching the same wall as hers did on the other side.  Sammy
felt so sorry for his sister.  It was out of character for Sammy to care this much, but he had seen
the way his sister had lost the gleam in her eyes and had been grabbing her side.  He knew
something was terribly wrong having to do with Darien.  Although he kept it to himself, Sammy
had long ago learned of Serena's secret identity of Sailor Moon.  He figured that Darien and
Sailor Moon had shared something deep, that he could not yet comprehend.
        Now Sammy sat on his bed listening to his sister scream in almost unearthly wails and he
could barely keep from crying himself.  He decided enough was enough.  Serena obviously had
nobody else to turn to so he got up the courage to leave his room and go to her door.
        Hesitantly he knocked on the door.  Serena didn't hear.  He knocked again a little louder.
Serena was crying so loud that she couldn't hear, Sammy knew.  Bravely, he slowly turned the
door knob and opened the door a crack.  The full, no longer muffled, sound of Serena's desperate
cries filled his ears.  He winced as they were so loud.  He finally opened the door all the way and
took a few steps inside.  His sister still did not know of his presence and she screamed, "Darien!
Why did you leave me?  What did I do?"
        Sammy walked over to her writhing and shaking body and touched her back gently.  Serena
jumped and cried out, startled by Sammy's touch.  Serena looked into his face.  For the first time
Sammy saw Serena not as his older sister but as a woman who had been hurt.  He had never seen
such a look before and he felt his throat tighten.  To think she had been going through all this
unbearable pain alone, and had still managed to face the world everyday brought Sammy a whole
new respect for her.  She was stronger than he, or anyone, had ever given her credit for being.
Now, Sammy felt as if her were looking into the face of agony itself.  He crawled up onto the bed
with Serena.  Serena was holding back her screams now that Sammy was there.  Then, to her
surprise, Sammy put his arms around Serena's shoulders and brought her face to his chest.  He
held his sister as she cried and he shushed her and told her that he would be there for her.  Serena
calmed and eventually looked up at Sammy.  Sammy glanced around the room and at last found
the tissue box sitting on Serena's window sill, by her bed.  He pulled one out with his shaking
hand and handed it to Serena.  She dried her face and looked at him for a long moment.
        "Thank you, Sammy." she almost whispered, her voice uncontrollably shaking from crying.
        "Serena, why are you sad?  It's because of Darien, huh?  He doesn't deserve you, Serena.
Anyone who would treat Sailor Moon like this is..."  Sammy trailed off, realizing his mistake.
"You... How did....  Hold on a second here, Sammy.  How did you know I was Sailor Moon?"
        Sammy shrugged, looking away.  He began to fiddle with the quilt and he bit his lower lip.
Then, he rolled his eyes up to hers and slowly began to explain.  "I was playing hide and seek with
Rini." he started.  He noticed when he said Rini's name, Serena winced.  Another sore spot, he
realized.  "I was under your bed.  But then you came in with Luna.  She started talking to you
about focusing more on being Sailor Moon rather than a normal teenager.  I'm sorry.  I- I didn't
snoop through your stuff, honest." he spoke pleading for almost forgiveness.
        Serena sighed.  She looked for a long time at her brother.  She rolled her eyes and then
looked at him with a half smile.  "Just don't tell Mom and Dad." she said with a smile now starting
to form across her face.  It wasn't a real smile though.  At least not one of his sister's smiles.  It
held no joy.  Sammy felt an ache in his throat.  He smiled back.  He realized Serena already knew
that he would not tell.
        "So how did you get to be Sailor Moon?" Sammy asked curiously, trying to change the
subject from Darien.  Serena's eyes had confirmed that Darien was in fact the cause of her pain.  It
made Sammy angry that he was doing this.
        Serena laughed slightly.  "How much time you got, Sam?" she giggled rolling her eyes
heavenward and twisting the tissue in her hands.  She crossed her legs and looked at her little
brother's expression.  For once, she felt like she and Sammy could talk.  He had said some of the
most mature things she had ever heard him say earlier.  Sammy gazed solemnly back at her, "All
the time you need, Serena."
        For the next two hours Serena explained.  Sammy grabbed a pillow and sat hunched
forward, cross-legged, holding the pillow in his lap and under his chin.  Serena put another pillow
against the headboard and leaned back.
        "Well, it all started several millennia ago in a place called the Moon Kingdom.  It was during
the time called the Silver Millennium.  This was when all the planets were populated and the
Moon was the Supreme ruler over the entire galaxy.  The Moon ruled because it alone possessed
the ability to channel the power of the Empyrean Silver Crystal.  My mother was the Queen of the
Moon.  Her name was Queen Serenity.  She was warm, loving, and very beautiful.  Her husband,
my father was killed in a battle with the Negaverse when she was pregnant with me."
        "You were a Princess?" Sammy said stunned.  Sure, he respected Serena now but she was
really not Princess material.  Serena giggled as she read Sammy's thoughts.
        "Honestly Sammy, I was a lot more graceful on the Moon than now!  Anyway, I was raised
to not only be a Princess, but the Supreme Princess Serena of the Moon Kingdom, for I too,
would one day rule the galaxy.  With my title came strong powers and strict rules."
        Sammy sat intently listening to his sister speak of the Court structure and how Lita, Mina,
Amy, and Raye had all been Princesses as well.  He could hardly believe that he had fought with
the Princess of the entire galaxy over a waffle before.
        "Then there were two Princes.  One from Saturn and one from Earth.  Their names were
Micah... and Darien."  Serena's voice faltered.  She looked heavenward and quickly fanned her
eyes with her hands.  Then she continued.
        "Prince Darien disappeared when he was nine.  I was five.  Nobody could find him.  Because
of this, at the age of thirteen it was of course decided that I would marry Micah.  I was upset by
this... Because he abused me." Serena stated looking toward the window with a gleam of
bitterness in her eyes and a hint in her voice.
        "Then, one day he attacked me in a theatre and a man the cast all called, 'Tuxedo Mask'
saved me.  He was supposedly a ghost, but now I knew he wasn't anything more than a man who
lived there.  He had no memories of his past and was very intriguing.  To make a long story short,
we fell in love, even though it was forbidden for me to love anyone but a Prince and for him, to
love the Supreme Princess.  However, it didn't stop us from seeing each other and..." Serena
blushed.
        "Oh!  Gross, Serena!  I don't want to hear about THAT part."  Serena smiled.
        "Well one night, Micah found us together.  The Court exiled Tuxedo Mask to a distant
planet and I, being completely in love, agreed to fake my own death and run away with him.  The
next thing I knew, I was living with Tuxedo Mask, now known as Skyler on a planet called
Trysidia.  The people there embraced us and we built lives there.  After a year, Skyler
remembered who he really was.  He was Darien, Prince of Earth.  We returned to the Moon
Kingdom and were wed.  It was not long after that, that the Negaverse attacked the Moon
Kingdom with a vengeance.  They destroyed all of the planets except Earth.  The Court was
slaughtered.  My mother, the Inner Planetary Scouts, Darien, and I were the only one's left on the
Moon alive.  Queen Beryl attempted to kill me but Darien stopped her.  When Beryl offered him a
position at her side, he declined, sending her into a rage.  She blasted Darien into the air, ripping
him away from me.  I could not bear my life without him so I ran off the balcony and jumped into
the swirling winds.  We grasped hands for a moment before Beryl blasted us both and killed us.
We died screaming each other's names.  My mother used the power of the Silver Crystal to send
all of the royalty, populations, and Court to the future to be reborn on Earth, as humans."
        "You were born here, then.  On Earth.  So technically, you are still my biological sister,
right?" Sammy asked tentatively.
        "Yes Sammy." Serena replied smiling at him.  She leaned forward and reached for another
tissue.  She had managed to effectively shred the first one.
        "It wasn't until a almost year ago that Luna found me.  My mother had sent her and her male
friend, Artemis, to be our guardians and to revive us in case the Negaverse attacked again.
Unfortunately, they did.  Luna then gave me a locket with which I was to transform into a warrior
named Sailor Moon.  I fought evil for a while alone until we eventually found Sailor Mercury.
Not long after that we found Sailor Mars.  It was just the three of us for a long while until Sailor
Jupiter was discovered.  Sailor Venus later found us in a battle.  None of us had any memory of
the Moon Kingdom.  Then there was Tuxedo Mask who always showed up to save us.  We never
really had contact with him, he just appeared.
        Now the next big thing that happened was when Darien got challenged by Zoisite, a
Negaverse general.  She kidnapped both him and me in the process.  We learned of each other's
identities just in time to have him get mortally injured.  When I began to cry over his body, the
seven rainbow crystals, which had been coveted by both the Negaverse and the Scouts, joined
together forming the Silver Crystal.  It transformed me into Princess Serena and that's when, I
regained my memory.
        The Negaverse kidnapped Darien and kept sending monsters to try and destroy me and get
the Crystal.  They brainwashed Tuxedo Mask and had him fight us because they knew I couldn't
kill him.
        The Scouts and I finally launched a counter offensive.  We defeated Beryl after a long battle
and were sent back to Earth, only Luna and Artemis remembered anything.  I was revived a
second time when two aliens began to attack people in Tokyo again.  Needless to say, the others
were revived as well.  Darien took a long time getting his memory back.  He finally did, recently.
We could at last live happily ever after.  But then, he spontaneously dumped me.  No reason.  No
explanation.  Just left me.  After all that."
        Serena burst into tears.  Sammy couldn't believe his sister's story.  Anger rose in him as he
wanted to condemn Darien for doing this to not only his sister, his Serena, but to a girl who
Darien has sworn unending love.  How COULD he!?

        That night Serena was in a battle and came near death.  Tuxedo Mask showed up and saved
her, as always, but this time, he saved her life with a kiss.  A kiss of true love, so the droid had
yelled.  But when Serena asked Darien if his feelings had changed, he merely turned from her and
told her that, "Our love is like a rose; beautiful when it's in bloom, but it can't last forever."
        Serena felt as if Darien had taken that rose and shoved it's thorns through her already
bleeding heart.  She collapsed on the ground, tears escaping her already puffy eyes and began to
gather the rose petals in vain.  "Come back, Darien."
        Serena later found out that the girl clinging to Darien was not his girlfriend, but Andrew's
sister.  Serena felt a wave of relief wash over her as she sat back into the booth.  She picked up
the cold milkshake.  She took a long sip and felt the icy cold on her hands, making her fingers go
slightly numb.  She realized she still had a chance with Darien and practically announced it to the
entire restaurant.
        She managed to live through her life.  As it ended up, the Scouts were able to convert the
four sisters from being evil to nega-energy free.  Serena was overjoyed when she heard that they
would be opening a make-up shop.  Free discounts!
        Through all of this, Serena felt the pain of Darien's neglect.  She was not as good at fighting
as she normally was.  Serena was even more distracted at school.  Instead of 20's she was now
scoring in the 8's.  Even with the worry of her friends, Serena felt totally alone.

        Now Serena was laying in bed, crying.  That was where the nightmare started. All of it never
ending; an eternal progressively worsening nightmare.  She was touched by the way Sammy had
cared for her.  She pulled the covers up to her chin.  She heard Luna sigh at the end of the bed.
'A sigh in peaceful sleep' Serena thought enviously.  Serena had not slept well in weeks.  When
she did sleep, she saw Darien.  Pushing her away.  Rejecting her, despite her calls to him.
        Serena pondered for a while more before a realization finally hit her.  'What if he really did
just love me on the Moon because of my power and looks?"  Serena remembered how the King of
Neptune had stood up and proclaimed to the court that, "He's manipulating her.  Of course he
LOVES her.  Have you looked at her?  She's gorgeous!"  Serena recalled that for this statement
the Queen of Neptune had beat her husband upside the head.  'I always had liked her style.' Serena
thought almost laughing.  'But what if he had been right?  What if Darien only loved me because I
was rich and powerful?  It would explain why he's all of a sudden dumping me and hanging out
with Rini.  She's supposedly a Princess, right?  That explains a lot."  Serena's eyes began to swell,
but there were no tears left in her eyes to cry.  She let out an agonizing wail and buried her face in
her pillow, now pulling the covers completely over her head.  She curled up into a ball and felt her
stomach scream in agony.
        Her whimpers finally alerted the snoozing cat on the bed.  Luna sighed as she awoke.  She
felt sorry for poor Serena.  Luna knew all that the poor thing wanted was to be a normal girl, but
she simply couldn't have it.  And if that wasn't bad enough, her boyfriend of a whole Millennium
was now pushing her away.  His reason was, as Luna recalled, "Because."  She had confronted
Darien when Serena was near death, thanks to the droid who had tried to banish her to sleep
eternally.  Luna didn't understand any of their relationship, other than they had been very much so
in love on the Moon, and now Serena was the only one with apparent feelings.  Luna arched her
back and spread her claws.  She yawned loudly as she glanced at the clock.  6:30 it read.  She
would need to rouse Serena soon for a school.
        Luna pounced on Serena at 7:00.  Serena let out a agonizing yelp as Luna had landed on her
stomach.  She rubbed her eyes and reached for her clock.  Only 7:00?  "Luna." Serena growled.
"I wanna sleep in a little."  Serena couldn't be blamed.  She had just barely fallen asleep not even a
half hour ago.
        "Time to get up Serena.  You have school to go to.  You really need to take being a student
more seriously."
        'Ahhh.  The morning lecture.'  Serena had often considered locking Luna out of her room.
She tried it once, but her mother had let Luna in.  Serena couldn't stand to be ragged on before
she even had time to let her eyes adjust to the light.  Serena threw her feet off the side of the bed
and sat up, allowing the covers to slip down her body.  Serena shivered as the cold first-out-of-
bed-in-the-morning draft encased her body.  She stood up slowly and leaned back, hands
supporting and cracking her back.  Serena proceeded to meet the new day with very little
enthusiasm.
        Serena drawled through the day.  She could barely stay awake in her classes.  She put her
head down on her desk and moaned.  She ached from tossing and turning all night.  Her side felt
like it had a knife in it and she was weary from constant stress.  Finally during her last period, she
conked out on her desk, unbeknownst to her teacher, Miss Haruna.  When the bell rang, Serena
didn't even stir.  Miss Haruna rushed right out, not even noticing Serena.  She had a hot date that
night and was eager to get out of school.  Serena was awakened by the sound of the door
shutting.  She stretched and glanced up at the clock.  Her eyes stung as they adjusted to the light.
3:30!?  She was supposed to be at the temple by 3:45!  Serena dashed out of her seat and raced
home.  She greeted Rini in the stairway as she ran into her room to change.  Then she dashed out
the door again, ignoring her mother's inquiry about her exam.
        Serena was, as always, fashionably late to the meeting.  When she arrived, she saw that Lita
had baked cookies and this was delight to Serena's taste buds.  Serena ate happily for a while.
The Scouts began to talk about Rini being in danger and the new threat of Rubeus.  Serena heard
some of the talk, but it was, for the most part, drowned out by the content sounds of her
munching.

          Meanwhile
        Rini had discovered Serena's secret identity of being Sailor Moon.  She had seen her and the
Scout's transform when they were going to fight Prisma and Avary.  Now she also knew the
location of the Silver Crystal.  Rini had mixed feelings about stealing the crystal now that she
knew that Serena needed it to transform into Sailor Moon.
        Rini was in the kitchen with Serena's mother.  They were going to have a tea party and Mrs.
Tsukino was making pancakes.  She ran over to her 'aunt' and asked if she could help.
        Rini jumped up and down in delight.  Then she looked at the tall stack of pancakes sitting off
to the side.  "Why are you making so many?" she asked.  She knew that she and her aunt could
not possibly eat them all.  Serena's mother explained that she was making some for Sammy and
Serena, too.  Rini realized what a good mother Serena had and felt angry that Serena didn't
appreciate her mom.  At least, that's what Rini thought.  Serena wasn't unappreciative, just
preoccupied now that her life was a mess.  Rini never really gave much mind to Serena's pain and
in fact rubbed Darien in Serena's face as much as possible.  She wandered up the stairs to Serena's
room and found her locket laying on Serena's school uniform.  "How could she just leave it
there?"  Rini also commented how Serena was a brat and how she didn't appreciate her mother
like she should.  Rini then decided that Serena wasn't worthy of the crystal and unlatched it from
the uniform.  The locket was surpassingly warm from the crystal's power.
          It was then that Serena came in through the front door.  "Hi Serena.  I made pancakes if
you want some." Mrs. Tsukino called.
        "No thanks Mom!  I got totally stuffed on Lita's cookies.  I can't eat another bite!"
        Rini left the room and Serena rushed in.
        "Locket's gone!"
        "This is bad!" Luna yelled, hair standing on end.
        Serena felt rage sweep through her.  She was no longer more concerned for Rini's welfare,
only in retrieving what was rightfully hers.  She had begun to feel sorry for Rini during the
meeting but now...  Other than the scepter and memories, the locket was all she had left of Queen
Serenity.  Not to mention that now she could not transform into Sailor Moon.
        There was a big run around for the rest of the day trying to find Rini.  Serena checked the
parks, her school, friends’ houses, all turning up nothing.  Later she joined up with the Scouts
who had, to Serena's surprise, already saved her from one of Rubeus's attacks.  They couldn't find
her though.  They claimed she took off running through the traffic, almost getting hit by three
cars.  Serena was angry.  Rini had taken off leaving Serena helpless to an attack.  'That child has
no mind for reasoning, does she?' Serena thought fuming.  Then it hit Serena where Rini probably
was.  As she suspected she found Rini that night at Darien's place... just in time for her to escape
by way of the balcony.  Serena was perturbed.  Her legs ached from walking all day all over
Tokyo.  Her mind raced with thoughts of Rubeus attacking and her not being able to help her
friends fight.
        Finally all of her nightmares came true.  Serena left the apartment and began to scour the
streets again, for Rini.  She had no idea where to look this time.  She now had to go and try all of
her usual places again.  Serena rounded a corner of a building just in time to see the Scouts in a
last desperate attempt.  They were trying to save 'that brat' from some sort of a gravity
amplification beam.  Tuxedo Mask rushed in and saved Rini but the scouts were another story.
Serena stood by, helplessly watching.  She felt her fists tighten in fury at Rini and Rubeus.  It was
in her right mind just to give Rubeus the spore without the crystal.  "Screw saving the brat.  She
brought this on herself by stealing my locket!  And now MY friends could die!"
        The Scouts were lifted up into the Dark Fortress.  Serena screamed for them, but of course
it did no good.  She ran under where Rubeus was and looked up at him.  He demanded Rini and
the Crystal in return for the Scout's release and gave Serena three hours to make a choice.  Serena
felt her side worsen and she collapsed in pain.  Rubeus disappeared and the Dark Fortress lifted
into space.  Serena managed to get to her feet, with no help of course, and walk into a sheltered
area where her legs finally gave out.  Darien and Rini walked over to her now, but stayed a good
fifteen feet away.  Serena burst into tears.  Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse,
they found a way.  Luna came over to her and she felt a warm paw touch her leg.  Serena looked
down at the cat, who was obviously concerned for her.  Serena noticed Darien comforting a
crying Rini off to the side.
        'She should cry!  Let her cry, Darien.' Serena thought angrily.  Luna followed Serena's
infuriated gaze over to the two.  Serena got up by pulling herself up on a trash bin and walked
over to them.  All she could do was glare.  As she approached, both Darien and Rini's gaze lifted
to the most murderous look either had ever seen.  Serena was furious.  All Serena did was reach
out her hand toward Rini and she handed Serena the locket without protest.  Serena turned and
began walking the other way stiffly.
        "She was just trying to save her mother, Serena.  Have a heart." Darien spoke scoldingly,
still holding Rini, who now had her eyes glued to Serena's back.  It was the wrong thing to do.
Serena clenched her fist and a small flash of red light emanated from within her being and out her
hand.  The powers she had possessed as Supreme Princess were still inside her, but she managed
to be rather controlled on Earth.  But now she couldn't help herself.  Darien had finally pushed her
to the point of no return.  Serena slowly pivoted, her head low.  Her eyes fixated on the man who
had just spoken.  She marched over to him and looked him dead in the eye.  Even the cats were
frightened at this point and scooted back away from her.  Darien gulped nervously and wished he
had not spoken.
        "What?" Serena asked with an eerie calmness to her voice.  It was almost a growl.  "This
little brat moved into MY house.  Disrupted MY life and made it a living HELL.  Stole MY
locket, got MY friends captured, has put all of us in a very bad position by letting THEM,"
Serena pointed to the Dark Fortress, "have hostages.  I do not GET an apology OR an
EXPLANATION from either of YOU TWO about ANNN-Y-THING and YOU, MISTER Chiba
have the FUCKING AUDACITY to SIT THERE AND DEFEND HER??????" Serena roared in
an almost unearthly tone.  She was disgusted by Darien’s behavior towards her and his sweetness
toward Rini.  "No.  I REFUSE to do this BRAT ANYMORE FAVORS!!!" Serena took a breath
and calmed down.  She could see she was frightening the both of them.  This gave her a feeling
gladness, guilt,.... and power.  Now she looked directly at Rini's terrified and shocked face.  "I
have been patient with you and quite tolerant.  But no more.  You crossed the line Rini.  You are
a spoiled, disobedient, selfish, ill-mannered, ungrateful little worm and you do not DESERVE my
help.  But I don't really have a choice now, thanks to you, DO I??"  Serena raised her eyes from
Rini, who now had tears running down her face, to the general both of them.  "I am going back
with Luna and Artemis.  I take it they are going to you guys' place (that's right.  Darien and Rini's)
to try to plan our next move.  So Darien you can sit here, and comfort the one that you love so
very dearly, even though she CAUSED the whole mess, but you cannot and WILL NOT expect
me to comfort her."  Serena pointed an angrily trembling finger at Darien.  "Don't scold me.
Don't speak to me.  Don't even look me in the eye, or else I will NOT be held responsible for what
happens."
        Serena once again turned, this time not called back by anyone and turned to the cats hiding
under a board.  "Come on guys." she said in her normally sweet and what was now her normally
incredibly hurt voice.  She took a deep breath in and sighed with heartache and release.  It felt
good to yell at them, finally releasing her anger and frustrations.
        Luna would have scolded her under any other circumstance, but not now.  In Serena's entire
existence, she had never seen Serena anger so.  Up until that point Luna never even considered
that Serena still possessed her old powers.  But now she knew otherwise.  That flash of red light
had only been used once during the entire existence of the Moon.  That red light was the energy
of all the anger and hatred that a Moon person felt towards another person or thing.  Normally,
the amount of anger was not enough to even come close to flashing, but Serena had been pushed
and pushed and pushed.  Luna knew that she was right as far as it being Rini's fault and that Rini
was rather spoiled.  But Luna did not think Serena should have told her.
        Serena and the cats sat in Darien's apartment while Darien and Rini were up on the roof.
Darien had told Luna that he was going to try to figure out what exactly happened to Rini's mom.
Luna and Artemis sat on Darien's bed facing what was now an angry, hurt, but under control
Serena.  Serena sat on the coach, slumped forward, clutching the locket in both hands.  Her eyes
fixated on the star formation of the brooch.  Serena growled and took the locket into her left hand
and squeezed so hard that her knuckles turned white.
        "Ooooh.  I could throttle that miserable brat!  My friends are in big trouble because of her.
She's never been nice to me.  She's nothing but trouble!  Why do I always have to save her?"
Luna and Artemis gasped and raised their eyebrows.
        "Serena!" Artemis said in a way that meant, "Come on!  Stop it!"  Serena looked up at the
cats.
        "I have to make a choice between four friends I love and an ungrateful, spoiled, and
manipulative little brat.  Guess you can tell which way I'm leaning.  This is too hard for me.  I
don't know what to do."
        The cats sat forward in astonishment and reproach.  "Serena, you know you can't abandon
Rini.  You can't mean it!"
        Serena looked away for a moment.  "You're right, Luna.  I don't get it." Serena looked up
with stars of thoughtfulness in her eyes.  "Part of me wants to blast that rotten kid into outer
space and part of me wants to protect her."
        The cats looked at her in sudden understanding.  Serena was not only fighting with Rini and
Darien, she was fighting with herself.  It made it rather hard to choose sides.
        "Your choice is hard." Luna mused.
        "I'm sorry.  I'm just too tired to think straight." Serena finished.  Luna and Artemis told her
that they would try to think of a plan.  Serena thanked them and slowly brought herself to be able
to get up.  She told Luna and Artemis she just needed some fresh air.  As she left, the cats
moaned pity-laden, "ohh."'s on Serena.
        It did not take long for Serena to realize what her only course of action was.  She decided to
go alone.  Her friends needed her and she thought Rubeus might just accept the Silver Crystal as
payment.  She figured that there must be a reason Rubeus wanted Rini and it would not be wise
just to hand her over.  Furthermore, Serena knew she could never put Rini in danger.  I was one
thing to think about giving her up, but she could never allow Rubeus to torture any child.
        Serena gazed into the starlit sky and whispered.  "Hang on, guys.  I'm coming."  Serena took
off her shoes and tip toed by the cats.  She hurried down the hall, hoping the cats wouldn't notice
she was missing until she was already gone.  She ran to the elevator and pushed the cold down
key.  It seemed to take ages as she waited and ended up pressing the key repeatedly.  When the
door finally opened, she pressed the ground floor button before she was even all the way in the
elevator.
        Serena raced down the street and transformed into Sailor Moon.  It had been three hours
and Sailor Moon was going to attempt to make a trade.  The Silver Crystal for the Scouts.  What
choice did she have?
        Unfortunately, Rini had other plans.  Just as Rubeus appeared Rini ran up behind Sailor
Moon and Rubeus took this as Sailor Moon giving up.  Sailor Moon whirled around in frustration
and glared at Rini.  "What are you doing here?" she demanded.  "This is my fault.  I'm going to
help." Rini answered.
        "No.  Go away.  Don't you see?  You're giving Rubeus exactly what he wants!"  But it was
too late.  The two of them were lifted off the ground and taken into the Dark Fortress.  Upon
arrival, Rubeus began to toy with Sailor Moon by making her float and then drop by using a
gravity beam.  A large black crystal fed his power and Sailor Moon could do nothing to fight.
Finally, Rubeus put on the full force of the gravity beam pinning Sailor Moon to the ground.
Sailor Moon could do nothing.  She felt so heavy.  That's when she saw the face of Queen
Serenity standing in front of her.  Serena looked at her and thought, 'If I don't get up and fight,
Mother will have died for nothing.  She gave her life so that I could live, and I'm not going to let
Rubeus make that sacrifice become in vain.'
        "You are such a coward.. and a vicious monster." she gasped
        Serena groaned, but felt a surge of energy tear through her body.  She slowly began to stand
up, although her body was shaking with effort, defying Rubeus and his power.  Rubeus looked on
with awe as she stood.  "How can that be?  You are standing with the G force at maximum
capacity!" he spoke in astonishment.
        "I'll never give up.  As long as there are people I love in danger, I will stand to defy you.  I'll
battle you and fight for love and justice, because I'm Sailor Moon." Sailor Moon spoke, rushing
the words as if she was not sure how much longer she would be able to talk.  Rubeus lifted the
beam off of her and she stood normally once again.  "Take your best shot, Sailor Moon." He
challenged.
        Sailor Moon raised her scepter and blasted.  Rubeus met her power with his own and they
fought, for a moment before Rubeus amplified his and hit Sailor Moon, sending her body flying
across the room, slamming her into the wall.
        Rini, in the mean time, was watching all these goings on, unable to help because of an
invisible force field around her.  Luckily, the Dark Crystal, that fed Rubeus's strength, was within
her reach.  She ran and jumped onto it.  The Crystal blasted her, but she kept pulling, trying to
dislodge it.  Rubeus looked back at her.  "I turn around for one minute and she’s already
destroying my power source." Rubeus growled.  He raised his hands and was about to attack
when he heard, "Moon Scepter... Activation!"  He turned in time to fire back.  "Pull harder Rini!"
Sailor Moon screamed as she continued her stream of fire.  Rini began to scream with pain and
frustration, thus releasing her energy and giving her the strength to destroy the crystal.  Sailor
Moon blasted Rubeus as his power ceased.  The Scouts were released and they teleported back to
Earth, just in time for the Dark Fortress to explode, killing Rubeus.
        The next day, Serena saw a real change in Rini.  She was no longer disobedient and not quite
as rude as she had been to Serena.  This came as a great relief to Serena as it also allowed her to
be nicer to Rini and therefore not harbor any ill will.  Furthermore, Luna no longer lectured
Serena for being mean to Rini because she wasn't.  Although things seemed to be improving for
Serena, she still carried over half of her original pain.  She felt a slight anger directed at the Scouts
and Luna for neglecting her when she needed them most.  She remembered Rini's bad attitude and
was still upset that her mother and father seemed to favor her more than their own children.
        Then there was of course Darien who was still acting aloof as ever, now more so in ignoring
Serena.  Now Serena finally understood why he was doing this though.  He only cared for her as a
Princess he loved in a past life.  Darien saved her only because he felt inclined to save the Princess
he USED to love.  Kind of a guilt and obligation thing.  If he had actually loved her for who she
was now, he would have felt it immediately as she did for him.  He had just been exhausted of
pretending to love her in this world when he did not in fact even love her in the last one.  He had
used Princess Serena for her money, beauty, power, and influence and never actually cared for
HER, who she WAS.  This realization brought Serena more pain than she ever had before when
she thought of how he had used her.  At least before, she had the illusion that he cared for her...
once.  But now, she recognized the full truth in it's gruesome whole.  She was unloved.
        Rini fell ill and Serena called her friends over.  That was when they all had the privilege of
meeting Luna P, a.k.a. Sailor Pluto.  Luna and Artemis sat in complete shock, as there was
another Sailor Scout.  Although Luna and Artemis retained the memories of the Moon Kingdom,
they did not remember that the Moon Court did not just consist of Mars, Mercury, Venus,
Jupiter, and the Moon.  The Court evidently had included the outer planets as well, as Serena
already knew.
        This turned out to be one of the Scouts’ more interesting adventures because they were not
fighting an actual enemy, per se.  They were fighting a man in Rini's dream and would have been
unable to stop him from killing Rini if Sailor Moon had not convinced Rini that they could win, if
she believed they could.  Once Pluto returned the Sailors to reality, Rini woke up and saw Luna P
and asked if she could go home.  Luna P told Rini that she had to stay, evoking tears from Rini
who then turned and buried her face against Serena.
        Just when Serena thought that things were going to calm down as far as the Negamoon was
concerned they were attacked by another commanding general, this one a lady and more powerful
than Rubeus.  Her name was Emerald.  After defeating her, the Scouts stood around and
exchanged words and insults.  Emerald stated that, "I did not expect to have such young children
be my adversaries."  To this Jupiter replied, "We're not children, and we could beat you any day
ya old hag!"  That was when Emerald divested her official rank and just how highly she thought of
herself.  The Scouts groaned and finally she left.  "Thank Goodness!" Serena breathed.
        Serena was in her room, not even attempting to sleep.  Luna was downstairs on the couch
and Rini was in her room.  Serena hugged her pillow and sighed.  She glanced at her clock.  3:48
it read.  She glanced back down at her covers and nightclothes and then got an idea.  She wiped
her wet eyes and reached for her disguise pen.  She didn't necessarily have to become someone
else, but this was a great way to try on new clothes.  She went and stood in front of the mirror
and scowled at how unattractive she looked in these P.J.'s.  Serena raised the pen and made her
nightgown into a beautiful red dress.  It was Japanese.  Red with little intricate flowers on the
fabric.  The dress reached her ankles but had giant slits up the sides, reaching her hips, exposing
her beautifully slim but curvaceous legs.  The sight brought a sideways smile to Serena's lips.  'I
look beautiful.' she thought as she turned from side to side, running her hands down and across
her firm belly.  The dress made her bust look even bigger and her waist smaller.  She posed
repeatedly as if modeling for the mirror.  She giggled.
        Then her happiness came to an end as she realized she no longer had anyone to appreciate
her in this dress.  Serena raised the pen again, now back in her normal night attire.  She glared at
her appearance and thoughts of determination crept into her mind.  'If Darien wants to toy with
my emotions, fine.  I'll try one last time to see if there was anything between us, but after that, I'm
setting out and getting the greatest guy on this planet.'  She steeped lightly over to the window
and glanced up at the Moon and then out over the city.  'One last chance, Darien.  For our love's
sake, you had better prove yourself to me.'  Serena closed her curtains and collapsed on the bed,
once again feeling abandoned, but now she had more of a feeling of loss and bitterness than anger.
What they had had on the Moon was so beautiful, at least for her.  She wanted more than
anything to travel back through time and just spend one more night with her Prince.  She let her
mind travel back to when Tuxedo Mask and she had run away to a planet called Trysidia.  Serena
wondered what it would be like if they had not come back to the Moon Kingdom and just stayed
there... Got married, raised a family, never died, always existing in total happiness.  Serena wished
she had now.  If they hadn't returned to the Moon, she and Darien would still be in love, still alive
on Trysidia.  She huffed loudly and got up from her bed.  She knew Darien had no idea that they
had run off to Trysidia.
        Now 7:00, Serena got dressed for school and raced off.  She was tired, sad, and lonely, and
she didn't feel like being yelled at by Miss H today for tardiness.  Serena sighed, cried, and
groaned through the day.  Miss H was too excited about her date that night to notice Serena's
outright unhappiness, but her classmates sure did.  Especially Molly.  She and Melvin talked to
Serena during lunch about her problems.
        Serena confessed that she was having guy trouble with Darien and Molly suggested that she
go to a new love bracelet store.  Serena grinned.  Wouldn't it be great to be able to have a
bracelet that would solve everything.  She knew that the bracelet couldn't possibly work, but she
figured it couldn't hurt to have one.
        Serena was silent as she walked home with Amy and Lita that day after school, alerting her
friends to her present stated of genuine joylessness.  They inquired as to her problems, but she
shook off their worry and simply changed the subject by asking them if they wanted to visit the
new love bracelet shop.
        It was then that Darien rounded their corner.  Serena turned and stood in awe for a long
moment.  "Darien." whispered to herself.  The night before she was sure she would be able to just
walk away from Darien forever, if he rejected her.  But now, looking at his face... a face that once
held an expression of love for her, she knew that would never be possible.  She would die with
him or die alone.  Her heart would never belong to another man as long as she lived.  Serena felt
her heart leap as she took a few careful steps forward, and then felt it race with alarm as Darien
started to turn away.  She tried to run to him.  "Darien, wait!"  Her body wouldn't respond to her
and she tripped and fell on the side walk.  She began to cry and she saw Darien turn back.  Was
that concern on his face?  No.  He's just being polite.
        Serena looked up at him, and although she couldn't remember her exact words for the life of
her, she asked him why he had deserted her.  She told him she would change for him... Even cut
her hair if he wanted.  Darien told her not to change, that wasn't it, and walked off, leaving Serena
crying and her friends in shock.  Lita began to feel anger rising in her bones.  She clenched her
fists.  "Jerk.  Why can't he pick on someone his own size?" she growled, speaking to nobody in
particular.  Then kneeling by Serena she placed a comforting hand on her back.  "You're too good
for him, Serena.  He's a heartless clod!  Sure he was great in the past, but now...  You gotta take
him like he is now.  Don't base your feelings on what he used to be.  Base them on the now.  This
is who he is and you can't change him no matter how much he needs to be changed.  You're so
sweet and beautiful, you could get any guy you wanted.  Get a guy who will treat you the way
you deserve to be treated.  If Darien doesn't know how to court a lady, that's his loss.  Don't
blame yourself and let yourself be brought down.  You deserve BETTER!" Lita finished.
        Amy half agreed with Lita but half didn't.  Lita was right that Darien didn't treat Serena right.
She even agreed that Serena should give up on him and find someone better.  But Lita was very
short sighted.  She was the type of person who acts before she thinks things through and lets her
emotions dictate her life.  This characteristic sometimes proved to be a flaw, while others, it saved
their lives.  What Lita failed to realize this time was that Darien must be acting this way for a
reason.  Amy was not convinced Darien was TRYING to hurt Serena, but yet he was doing a
bang up job of it.  Amy, always the insightful one knelt down on the other side of Serena's crying
body.  "Just follow your heart, Serena." she offered.
        Serena groaned and lifted her head.  "The problem is, I don't know what my heart is telling
me." she informed Amy.  Lita decided to get Serena's mind off Darien.  "How about heading to
that store, Serena." she suggested.  The girls got up and continued down the street.  Amy and Lita
tried to talk with one another, to create a feeling of normalcy for Serena, but Serena remained
basically silent.
        That night Serena was trying hard to concentrate on the bracelet.  However her lack of sleep
would not allow her to focus and soon she drifted off into a restless sleep.  That was when it
happened.  Serena dreamed the dream Darien had been having for the last few months.  Serena
felt the pain in her side worsen as she awoke.  She looked around and was rather startled by the
vividness and the intensity of the dream.  She reached over and grabbed the picture of her and
Darien.  It shattered.
        Serena ran out of the house, with sudden understanding.  She bolted down the streets of
Tokyo until she reached Darien's apartment.  Rather than wait for an elevator, she dashed up the
stairs to his apartment.  Finally, she reached his level and opened the door to the staircase.  She
reached his door and straightened her hair.  She lifted her hand to knock on his door.  But then
she stopped.  She lowered her hand and turned away from the door.
        'Serena.  You stupid girl.  You know better.  It was just a dream.  It doesn't MEAN
anything.  Darien won't care and will probably just think you made up an excuse to come over to
his place.  Leave while you have SOME dignity left.'  Serena headed for the elevators, no longer
in any hurry.  The fatigue of her legs and the intensity of the pain in her side, she now
acknowledged, taking it slow and easy.  The elevator arrived and she headed down to the ground
floor again.  When she stepped out of the building , Rini and Luna were outside... and Rini was
being attacked by a love bracelet?  She screamed, although not emitting her energy this time and
Luna grabbed the bracelet with her teeth and saved her.  Serena ran to Rini to see if she was all
right.  When she said she was, Serena ran to the love bracelet store.  Everyone there was being
attacked and Serena transformed into Sailor Moon just in time, before a droid appeared.  The
Scouts arrived and so went a battle.  The droid was some sort of emotion droid that attacked the
Scouts, threatening to destroy them with intense and painful emotions.  Tuxedo Mask made an
appearance and encouraged Sailor Moon with unusual warmness.  This show of emotion slightly
confused Serena, but she pushed it away from her mind and defeated the monster.  After the fight
Tuxedo Mask gave a short speech on how the Scouts are tronger together.  'Blah blah blah.'
Serena thought as she rolled her eyes.  'Together is great for you, except when it comes to me.'
He left and Serena couldn't help but look longingly upon his departing figure.  His speeches may
have been cheesy, but sometimes, they were all that brought Serena through.  The scouts glance
at Tuxedo Mask and then returned to Serena.
        "Follow him." they coaxed.  "You look so beautiful after our battle." Mina told her.  "Just
don't trip and fall on your face." Luna warned exasperatedly.
        "Yeah, impress Darien. " Raye agreed.
        Serena left the place and ran down the street.  She was now in human form and vulnerable.
Little did Serena know that this last monster was not dead.  It had merely been released from the
confines of its body.  Its spirit and power still lived.  It hovered above Serena recognizing who she
was and suddenly plummeted into her body, knocking Serena down.  Serena shrieked, unable to
reach her locket.  She felt like someone was holding down her hands and legs.  She was helpless!
She screamed again, but nobody came.  Then she felt powerful and painful energy blasts being
released against her body.  Serena's side screamed with pain and her body convulsed and shook.
She felt tearing sensations inside her body and then everything was black.

        I stirred.  The strange thing was I felt no pain.  I slowly got up and looked around for my
attacker.  The pain in my side was gone.  Completely gone!  Was this entire thing with Darien a
dream?  Had it a really happened?  I felt so weird.  Lighter somehow.  It was only then that I
looked down and began to scream.
        I let out a shrill shriek and stood up.  My body lay on the ground, completely still.  Lifeless.
I was confused.  Dazed.  I didn't know what to think or how to explain what was happening.  I
struggled for an explanation.  It was then that I realized under normal circumstances I would have
felt my heart pounding and heard it in my ears.  But there was silence.  'Is this a dream?  Some
sort of illusion?' I thought to myself.  That's when I saw Luna come running towards me.  I
figured she heard me scream.  I looked at her and called out to her.
        "Okay Luna!  What do we do about this?  I would like to get back in my body now!" I
yelled.  Luna didn't respond and ran over to the body, MY body laying on the ground.
        "Serena, get up!  Serena?  What happened?  Serena!?  GET UP!  SERENA!!!" Luna yelled.
        "Luna, it's okay.  We can fix this.  We just have to destroy the droid that attacked me.
Wonder where it is, anyway." I stated, kneeling by the cat.  Luna still didn't respond to my words
and I began to scream.  "LUNA!  Look at me!"
        "HELP!!!" Luna screamed.  She turned to me and ran at me... then through me.  She passed
right through me!  It was only then that I realized the truth.  I was a ghost.  I turned to watch her
run.  I felt so many emotions that I couldn't think.  I was dead?  That's it?  Gone?  Rubeus had
said he didn't see me in the future but THIS is how I die?  No I'm too young!!  It can't be over!
I started to cry.  'Ghost tears.' I thought.  I didn't know ghosts felt emotions.  I always thought
there were no such things as ghosts.  My mind was on total overload.
        I saw Mina, Raye, Lita, Amy, Artemis, and Luna come running up to my body.  I watched in
horror as they desperately tried CPR.  Raye kept calling my name, in almost a terrified chant.
"SERENA!  SERENA!  SERENA!" she yelled until Amy hugged her and she began to cry.  Lita
was still doing CPR as Mina watched on, holding Artemis, tears escaping both their eyes, neither
saying a word.  I wanted to comfort them.  I wanted to tell them I was all right.  Then I got an
idea.
        Raye could sense things others couldn't; she talked to her ancestors.  Maybe she could sense
me?  I called her name.  "Raye!  Raye?  Can you hear me?"  Nothing.  She had let go of Amy and
was now standing with one arm across her belly and the other over her mouth.  I walked over to
her.  I got very close and stood right beside her.  I yelled into her ear.  "Raye!  I'm right here!  It's
me!  Serena!  I'm RIGHT HERE!"  Still nothing.  I tried something I saw in a movie once.  I
walked through Raye to see if she'd sense my passage.  She shivered but there was no other
response.  No inclinations.  I tried again.  This time not even a shiver.  Amy ran to call an
ambulance.
        "Come on Serena!  Hang on!" Lita called to me.  In between breaths and pumps.
        "Come back, Serena!"
        "You just gotta pull through."
        "You can't leave us!"
        "You can do it girl!"
        And I wanted to!  Oh how I wanted to.  I wanted to crawl back into my body and become
alive again.  I wanted to open my eyes and be able to hug all of them.  But I knew I couldn't
unless my body began to function again.  The ambulance pulled up and I was rushed to the
hospital.  I climbed in the car with my body and watched as the paramedics tried in vain to rescue
me.  Bring me back to life.
        But it was no use.  I was gone.  Dead.  They tried to revive me for a whole three hours.  But
nothing worked.  I watched as my family came in.  Of all the things I've had to watch, this was the
most painful.  My mother and father came in the room with Sammy.  My mother didn't say
anything.  She burst into tears and clung to my father.  He was not crying, although I could tell
that he wanted to.  He was trying to be strong for mom.  I watched as Sammy walked over to my
body and kissed my cheek.  He had tears running down the sides of his face.  "I love you, Serena."
he stuttered.  Dad escorted Mom out of the room, not wanting her to have to endure the sight of
her only daughter laying dead on a table.  Sammy followed shortly after.  I sighed.  I was alive!
Sort of.  I was still here, anyway.
        I was gazing at my body when I saw a flash of light behind me.  I turned slowly around and
was greeted with a beautiful sight.
        Queen Serenity!
        Mother.  I turned completely around and ran to her.  I threw my arms around her neck and
spoke her name.  "Mother!"  I could hardly believe it.  'I never thought I would see her again.
That is, until I died... Oh yeah.  I'm dead.  That explains it.'
        Serenity laughed as if reading my thoughts.  "Hello, Serena.  It is good to see you.  I have
missed you."
        I smiled, ghost tears now glistening in my eyes.  "It is good to see you too, Mother." I told
her.  We embraced.  She was wearing her usual white dress.  I looked down to find myself now
dressed in Princess Serena's attire.
        "Mother, what is going on?" I asked, assuming she would know the answer.
        "Dear Serena.  You were attacked by a droid from the Negamoon, and it killed you.  You
became a ghost, as do all souls.  Once the soul has realized what has happened and has dealt with
their own death, they enter the afterlife."
        I looked skeptically at my mother.  "Afterlife?  What's that like?" I asked cautiously.
        "Oh it is wonderful place, Serena.  Better than the Moon even was!  You will love it.  If you
come with me, I can take you there."
        I gasped.  I thought for a long moment.  I had mixed emotions.  'If I leave here, I will not be
able to watch my friends.  I want to be here for them, even if they can't see me.'  I turned back to
my mother.  "Not yet.  Someday.  But not yet." I said dutifully.  Mother nodded.  "I will be here
for you when you are ready.  I will help you cope with this, my dearest daughter." she warmly
expressed.  I nodded and smiled.  "Thank you Mother, for understanding." I said.
        I turned to see the door open again and my friends came in.  They were all crying and upset.
It pained me not be able to comfort them.  My mother came up behind me.  "You might want to
come with me sooner than you think.  You will be upset watching them cry like this, dear.
Believe me, it is no fun seeing the people you love in pain."  I nodded in agreement.  "Not yet." I
stated.
        They all spoke their goodbyes, some saying they were sorry that they couldn't be there to
help me.  That's when Darien came in.
        Every head in the room shot back at the door and glared angrily.  Lita was the first to speak.
"Wait outside until we're done, Darien!  This time is for the people who LOVE Serena." she
ordered threateningly.  Darien merely backed out of the room and shut the door, no words
spoken.  They stayed a few minutes more, now mostly commenting on Darien.
        "The clod doesn't care about her when she was alive, but now that she's dead he thinks he
was close to her." Lita growled angrily.
        "Honestly, he made Serena's last months a living HELL!" Raye spoke condemningly.
        "Yes.  One should consider not inviting him to the funeral." Amy added.
        "You all didn't even see the way she cried every night.  The poor girl." Luna mused.
        "Come on you guys.  Serena just died.  Let’s not be criticizing anyone right now." Mina
suggested.  The others seemed to agree and they headed out of the room.  Shortly after this
Darien came back into my room with Rini.  Rini crawled up on the bed and began to sob.  I felt
bad for her and wanted nothing more than to comfort her.  Darien stood watching for a moment.
Then he came over and touched Rini's back.  He stroked her hair and let her cry for what seemed
like an eternity.  Then he slowly picked her up off me and told her to go out with the girls.  She
nodded and kissed Darien's cheek.  Rubbing her eyes, she left the room and went to the waiting
area.  Darien turned beck to me.
        "Well Serena, I guess this was meant to be.  I'm sorry it had to be this way.  Now who's
going to lead the Sailor Scouts?  Sailor Mars?  Jupiter maybe?  Venus probably considering
Venus was especially close to Serenity."  Wait.  I didn't think Darien remembered details of the
Moon Kingdom!  Apparently I was mistaken for he wouldn’t have known of my mother and
Cyperian (Queen Venus)'s close relationship.  Mother had married her bother Delian.  'I guess
Darien DID remember details about our past.  Figures.  He’s really cold that he could remember
our love on the Moon and not love me!' I thought angrily.
        "Seen enough?" Serenity asked, still behind me, now touching my shoulder.  "No." I replied.

        I sat in the front row.  Obviously everybody knew I was there.  My parents, Sammy, Rini,
my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, and cousins were all there, completely filling the first four
rows.  Until now, I hadn't even realized that I had this much family.  The music was sad and slow.
Irish I thought.  I heard bagpipes and an organ in the composition.  The organ was live.  I looked
around occupying the second row across from her was Amy, Mina, Lita, Raye, Luna, Artemis,
and Darien.  All in black.
        There was a woman next to Darien I didn't recognize.  Probably some long lost cousin of
mine or something.  As I glanced around the church I noticed lots of faces I didn't know.  Molly
and Melvin were there, in the third row behind the girls and Darien.  The people around them,
strangers as well.  'Hey, why doesn't my family realize that there are no parents for Rini, now that
I'm dead and everyone's here.  Why would she not be sitting with her family.  I hope they don't
figure that out!' I silently hoped.  It did seem odd that they DIDN'T notice, though.
        The minister stood before the people.  The place became silent except for random sniffles
and choked sobs.  It was an open coffin, and my body lay on the stage behind the minister.  It was
on a stand and only open half way.  The bottom half was covered in white flowers.  I looked
down.  I was now wearing the same dress as my body did in the coffin.  I was a long white dress
that resembled the one I wore when I was a Princess.  Except this particular dress had no sleeves
or ringlets of gold across the top.  Instead, it was white lace. I looked up when I heard the
minister, my father's friend, begin.
        "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of a friend, sister, cousin,
niece, and daughter by the name of Serena Tsukino.  She brought joy to all who knew her.
Lighting up a room no matter what the circumstance.  Goodness radiated from this child like no
other person I had ever met.  She was always there to give someone comfort, putting herself...
after others.  To loose this girl at such a young age is a tragedy of giant proportions..."
        He continued.  It almost felt good to hear all the nice things he said about me.  Under any
other circumstance I would have been blushing and giggling with modesty at these words.  But in
this situation, it was only mildly flattering, as I thought of how nobody had ever told me these
things in life.
        "We will now hear from people who loved her.  The microphone is open."  He left the pulpit
and sat down in a chair off to the side of the pews.  I glanced up briefly at Queen Serenity, who
had appeared next to me a short while ago.  Molly was the first to stand.  She approached the mic
with trembling hands.  I wanted nothing more than to call out to her that I was there.  I wanted to
stop her sadness, but I knew I couldn't.  "Serena was the best friend I ever had.  She and I grew
up together.  We met in the sandbox in the park when I was two.  The thing I liked most about
her was that she always cared about me when I was sad.  She'd talk to me and comfort me no
matter how busy she was.  She even helped me to get through the death of someone else I loved.
I never thought I would need someone to help me get through hers.  At least not so soon in life."
She finished with a sob and returned to her seat.
        Next was Sammy.  I already had tears streaming from my face and now knew it would only
get worse.  My mother was sobbing and my father tried to comfort her.
        "Serena was my sister.  I knew her better than most people thought I did.  I knew all about
her.  Everything." Sammy said as he glared bitterly at Darien, who completely avoided Sammy's
gaze.  "I know she was going through a hard time when she died, and I am almost happy for her.
She must feel very relieved.  I loved her very much and I didn't like seeing her in pain.  She was
always so cheerful.  She was the best older sister I could ever hope to have." Sammy declared as
he wrung his handkerchief in his hands.
        After he sat down Lita stood and approached the mic.  "Hi.  My name's Lita.  Serena and I
were really good friends.  I just wanted to say that Serena was the kindest person I know.  When
nobody else in school would come up and talk to me, she did.  She got to know who I was and
didn't just accept gossip.  She gave me a chance.  But that was her.  That was who she was.  She
would have done that for anyone.  And I loved her for it." Lita rolled her eyes heavenward.  "I
will always remember you, Serena." she told me before stepping down.
        Mina rose.  It would be the first time I heard Mina speak since the hospital room.  Mina
adjusted the mic from where the tall Lita had placed it and spoke.  "Serena," she started.  She
winked and smiled and did the piece sign.  "You'll get that, Serena." Mina said resuming her
frown.  'I do get it,  Sailor V.' I thought.
        Others spoke.  My relatives, my friends, my parent's friends, Amy, Raye, even Miss Haruna
said a piece.  I watched as everyone who had ever had an impact on my life came to the mic and
sat down, saying the most wonderful things about me.  Except Darien.  Darien remained seated,
not flinching, not crying, not saying a word.  'In denial?' I wondered.
        Then it was over.  There was music and the mass of people left to a reception hall that was
serving drinks and showing a video of me that my parents had assembled.  That way the mass
could watch the video as my parents and close friends said their last, private goodbyes.  I stayed
and watched people as they approached my coffin.  I had moved to right beside my body's head.
My mother was first, then my father.  Then Sammy came in, followed by Amy.  Raye was next.
Lita came in and then Mina.  All of them saying such wonderful, yet sad things that I couldn't help
crying out to them replies.  I told them I loved them and that I would be there for them whether
or not they knew it.  Queen Serenity stayed in the first pew.  I occasionally glanced at her.  She
was watching me and nodding to me with a knowing smile on her lips.
        Then Darien came.  It was the guest that I had been waiting for with the most anticipation.
He slowly sauntered up to my coffin and looked inside.  He sighed loudly.  He placed a single red
rose under my hands and above my chest.  "For old time's sake, Serena.  You shouldn't have had
to die.  You were so young.  Serena," Darien paused.  I stood in silence for this speech.  He didn't
even seem that sad.  I had hoped I meant SOMETHING to him, even a little love?  Slight
sadness?  None of these emotions rang true as I examined Darien's features.
        "Well, I guess I should tell you in death what I withheld from you in life.  It's not that you
weren't attractive Serena, or not a good person, but I just lost interest in you.  You had nothing to
offer that I couldn't get from someone else.  Besides, I wanted someone who wasn't always in
danger.  I knew it was a real possibility you could die in any one of the battles, and I didn't want
to put myself through the probable pain of losing someone I loved in a battle.  I did appreciate
you, Serena and I must have loved you when you were the Princess and I was Prince Darien.
Maybe you were more interesting then, being the Supreme Princess and all.  I don't remember
anything, any details from that time, though.  Maybe things would be different if I did." I stood for
a minute thinking, 'Didn't Darien say something about Cyperian before?  He had some memories!
Now he says he has none?  Make up your mind Darien!'  I shook my head in disgust and
annoyance.  He continued.
        "I did care about you Serena.  I didn't LIKE hurting you.  I really never meant to make your
life miserable, but I couldn't keep pretending to love you.  Surely you must have noticed that I
never opened up to you or said the exact words, "I love you."  You must have had SOME clue.
You may not be the brightest in school, but you're not THAT dense!  Please try to understand
that I saved us both from a one sided marriage.  But now you're gone.  You were a truly good
person, Serena.  I'm sorry to see you go."
        I felt like I was going to die again.  I felt so much pain inside of me.  I collapsed in anguish
and sobbed.  Darien stood there a while longer talking to me but I didn't hear his words.  'At least
now I know the truth.' I thought.  I was startled only by the sound of the door opening.  To my
surprise, in walked the woman who had been sitting by Darien in the funeral.  She walked up to
Darien and touched his shoulder lightly.
        "Come on Dar-bear.  We'll be late for the movie." she told him, a stern expression on her
face.  'DAR-BEAR???' I thought.  Then the realization of what had happened, and who this
woman was sunk in.  This was his new girlfriend.  They had obviously dated for a while for him to
let her call him as hideous a name as 'Dar-bear' and not smack her across the face.
        "All right, Danielle.  I'm coming."  He kissed Danielle and she took his arm.  They walked
out of the room leaving me with wide eyes and jaw on the floor.
        "How dare he!?!  He knows how much he meant to me and all he could muster was THAT
pitiful speech???  It was more like a lecture!  That boy is a... a....MONSTER!!!  Then he kisses
another girl IN FRONT of my COFFIN???  Hasn't he ever heard of respecting the dead?!!"  I was
fuming with anger and affliction that Darien could be so heartless.  I knew I had spoken to him
cruelly that night with Rini, but this was MORE than punishment!  I began to cry uncontrollably.
My mother came to console me.  She wrapped her arms around my trembling body as I proceeded
to sob away in her arms, burying my face against her dress.
        "Shhh, Serena.  It is going to be all right.  I am here.  Shhh.  Oh dear.  This is just what
happens after people die.  Their friends and families move on.  They get over it.  It is not that they
do not care, it is just that they cannot dwell on the past.  That is what you did with me.  You
never forgot me, but you got over me.  And that is what the living are supposed to do, dearest."
        Mother was right.  Maybe I should just... Cross over.

@)>-------<<-----------

        Luna ran to Serena's body.  "That girl!  She's collapsed!  Probably from exhaustion.  I need
to get her in better shape." Luna commented as she ran towards Serena's body.  "Serena?  Serena?
Get up, you lazy girl!  This is no time for a nap!  Come on now!  SEREEEEENAAAAA!"
        Luna was now next to Serena's body.  Luna realized instantly that something was wrong.
"She's not breathing!  Oh NO!!!!  HELP!  SAILORS!  ANYBODY!  HELP!" Luna shrieked.  She
didn't want to leave Serena, but if nobody came soon, she would need to find the girls.  Luckily
she saw Lita round the corner, heading towards them at a full sprint.  She was at least five yards
ahead of Raye who was closely followed by Mina, Artemis, and Amy.  "Serena!" they yelled as
they saw her laying across the sidewalk.
        "Amy!  Call for an ambulance!" Luna ordered.  Amy took off the other way, heading for the
nearest phone.  The others approached and tried to wake her.
        "She's not breathing!  Do something!" Luna cried.  Lita got down on her knees and started
doing CPR, with no luck.  The air wouldn't go into her mouth and she couldn't get her heart
going.  "Serena!  You gotta make it, you just GOTTA!"  Mina screamed, now in tears.  Right
along side of her was Raye and the two of them watched in horror as they couldn't revive her.
Two minutes...Three...Four....Ten minutes past and still no ambulance.  Amy had returned four
minutes ago, saying that the paramedics were on their way.  It was at this time that Darien
rounded another corner.  He had heard screams, but doubted that they were Negaverse related so
he took his time in getting there.  When he saw Serena laying there, lifeless, his entire body
became wracked with tremors of horror.  He bolted towards the scene.  Lita had stopped CPR.  If
it hadn't worked by now... and she was exhausted.  Not many people understand how much
energy it takes to do CPR.  Darien reached the group in tears.  "What happened?!" he asked, but
nobody knew.  "Serena?  Wake up!  SERENA!!!" he cried her name in the most desperate tone
any of them had ever heard.  "You can't leave me!"  He gently lifted her body and lightly brushed
his lips against hers, like he did the last time she had been almost dead like this.
        "Why not?!" Lita demanded through pain ridden sobs.  "You left her, Darien!  You made her
miserable!  She cried every day and night because of YOU!  She died trying to get to you, Darien.
She was coming to see YOU!  Now she's dead!  It's all your fault Darien.  It's    all    your
fault!"  Lita choked out those last few words before she began to bawl.  Raye looked over at Lita.
"That didn't need to be said right now, Lita." Raye whispered through her teardrops.  They saw
Darien collapse over Serena's body.  Everyone turned and watched as Darien convulsed in sheer
agony.  His cries were unearthly.  Never before had any of them seen a man shamelessly display
such raw emotion.
        "I'm sure Darien had his reasons, Lita.  We'll ask him about it later." Amy told them.  Her
arms were folded in front of her chest and small cries and squeaks escaped from her throat.
        Mina had dropped down beside Lita and the two embraced, both crying out in uncontrollable
wails as the reality hit them.  Serena was dead.  She wasn't coming back.  This was not like before
when she was still breathing, had a pulse, and was still moaning.  No.  She was dead.
        Finally they heard the sounds of an ambulance approaching.  When it arrived, they practically
had to pry Darien off Serena.  He insisted on going with her, but the paramedics said that they
would need him out of the way if they were going to try to revive her.  Mina walked over to
Darien and took his arm.  He fell against Mina's shoulder and began to cry.
        "I loved her.....  I only wanted to protect her! .......  Those dreams!...... I never wanted
this......  I love her so much!.......  I want her back, Mina."  Darien wept these things into Mina's
hair.  Mina did not understand, but she knew one thing... Darien DID still love Serena.  She could
just feel it.
        The hospital tried desperately to revive Serena, without success.  After three long hours, she
was pronounced dead.  Her family had been called and they were at the hospital with the girls,
cats, and Darien.  When the doctor came into the waiting room and spelled out the bad news, it
seemed the entire room screamed, cried, and wailed.  Darien sat silently in the corner, though.
Amy wanted to approach him but then thought better of it.  He probably wanted to be alone.
Serena's family went in her room first, Rini included.  After a long while they left.  Her mother
came tearing out of the room and her husband chased her.  Rini came out next and crawled in
Lita's lap.  Mina held Artemis and Amy held Luna, all of them sitting next to each other in chairs.
Raye paced back and forth across the room, muttering prayers aloud for Serena's soul to rest in
peace.  Sammy finally emerged.  He had an angry look across his face.
        He walked straight over to Darien and claimed the notice of the whole room, which had
emptied to only Serena's friends.  He marched straight up to Darien and looked him in the eye,
un-intimidated by the fact that Darien was twice his age AND size.
        "You...  I know what you did.  Why did you have to toy with my sister like that?  Huh?  You
two were so in love, once!  WHY???"  Sammy choked up and turned and ran out the door,
shocking everyone.  Sammy knew about Darien and Serena's relationship?  Well not all of it...
obviously.  Did he?
        "Well?" Lita asked as if expecting an answer even though Sammy had run out.  She glared at
Darien through her puffy red eyes and waited for her explanation, impatiently tapping her foot.
        Darien sighed and gathered his strength.  He slowly spoke, as if every word caused him
severe torture.  "I was having dreams.  Visions, more accurately.  They told me that if I didn't stay
away from Serena, something terrible was going to happen to her.  I shook off the first one, but
after the second one, I knew that I had to keep her away from me, or else...." Darien couldn't
finish. He just lowered his head and cried.  His whole body shook and the girls all just let forth in,
"Ohhh"'s.
        "Why didn't you just tell her?" Raye asked.  "You know Darien, she actually believed that
you hated her.  There are so many other ways to keep her safe.  NONE as painful as what you did
to her!  I mean, look.  If you had been a great lover BEFORE you started pushing her away, she
wouldn't have so easily believed that you hated her.  But Darien, you never treated her right.  You
were always so aloof, so secretive, so distant.  When you two were in public you didn't even
touch her, not even to hold her hand or something.  You never opened up to her the way she
opened up to you.  She let you see her soul for what it was.  She didn't hold back.  Now, Serena
was one of the most giving people I knew, but even she couldn't have continued to give so much
of herself to you without getting any of you in return.  She was convinced that you only loved her
on the Moon for her power, and now that she was a clumsy, unrefined, low grade getting, regular
person, with no substantial money, you dumped her for the next Princess who came along... Rini.
She wouldn't have thought that if you hadn't been so terrible to her.  You always kept her at arms
length and now, she's gone."
        Raye finished in a huff and watched Darien crumble before her eyes.  She had never seen
such a broken expression before... except on Serena.
        Darien wanted to escape these words.  He wanted to be able to deny everything that Raye
had just told him.  He wanted to feel the comfort of knowing that Serena knew the way he felt
about her before she died.  But he knew the words were true.  He had never told Serena how
much she meant to him.  He never told her how gorgeous she was, how he loved her humor, how
she always made him feel all right again no matter the circumstances surrounding the situation.
He had kept her away from him, never giving so much that if she left, he would feel violated.
        But she had done that for him.  She had told him everything, holding back only what he
didn't ask.  He now realized the way she must have felt when the man she had confided all of her
secrets into, just up and told her he didn't love her.  'She had given everything to me and because
of my stupid actions, she thought it wasn't enough.'  Darien realized he would never forgive
himself... Never.  For a girl so sweet to think she was unloved, and for her to die with that belief,
brought Darien heavy chains of guilt that he was sure would never be lifted.  Anytime anyone
would mention Serena, Sailor Moon, the Moon Princess, Queen Serenity, the Moon Kingdom,
the MOON itself, he would remember the way she died without ever understanding what a
difference she made in his life; the knowledge that would have meant everything to Serena.  She
had lived to love him, and she accomplished her task...  But she would never know.
        Darien cried.  He didn't feel that crying was enough to express his sadness and sense of loss,
but he had nothing else to do.  Mina came over to him and gently embraced him, whispering
words of encouragement.  Mina had a deeper understanding of love, Darien knew.  She could see
his genuine misery in his tears.  He embraced Mina back, letting his teardrops be lost within her
hair.  She put her arms around his neck and stroked his hair with her hand.  The other
Scouts looked on as Mina did this, all feeling sorry for Darien.  He had only been trying to protect
her, conceal her from grave danger... but he failed.  They could see now, just how much Serena
had affected him, his life.  This little blonde who was quite a clumsy, not too good at school,
sometimes major air head, care free girl, had somehow managed to affect this man so much that
without her there, as self-sufficient as he was, he couldn't go on living.
        Each of Serena's friends took their turn saying goodbye to Serena before exiting the hospital.

        "We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of a daughter, sister, niece, and friend by the
name of Serena Tsukino..."  The minister opened the ceremony, but Darien really didn't hear much
of it.  He just sat there in silence.  He was unable to move, for fear if he did, his world would
crash in around him.  He looked up and stared at Serena's coffin.  It was an open casket.  Serena's
parents figured that she would want it that way, since they had no idea what Serena wanted done.
You don't ask your teenage daughter what she wants at her funeral!  The coffin was a beautiful
red tinted oak or something.  The bottom half, covered in white roses.  Darien thought back to
the last time he had kissed his love.  It was right before Rini had shown up.
        'Far too long.' he thought.  'And now, I never will again.  That is to be our last kiss ever.'
        Before he knew it, the minister had sat down and left the mic open for whoever wanted to
say something.  Darien had so much to say that he knew it would take him hours.  He could never
summarize what Serena had done for him.  Just when he thought he would have finished, he'd
think of another way she had affected his life.  She WAS his life.  He wasn't Darien Chiba, he was
Princess Serena's lover... that is all.  He would have done anything for her.  But she'd never know.
Darien knew he couldn't speak.  That mic was for the people who had given her joy, not ones who
gave her agony.  He didn't deserve the honor of speaking at her funeral.
        Molly stood first.  She spoke of her and Serena's childhood.  How they were best friends.
Next went Sammy.  He cast several dirty looks in Darien's direction that only the people who
knew what happened would have understood.  Darien avoided his gaze, unable to face her flesh
and blood.  Lita spoke, then Mina, followed by many relatives and friends.  Amy and Raye spoke
also.  Luna and Artemis would have had something to say, but the Scouts didn't think talking cats
would go over too well.  Darien sat listening to all of these people, unaware until now of just how
many people Serena had reached, had changed.  He never thought that even Serena could have
had this kind of effect on people.  The church was packed with people even standing in the back
and on the sides.  It was no small church either.  There were at least three hundred, maybe four
seated, many more standing.  All of them felt close enough to this girl to come to her funeral?
        And it occurred to Darien that out of all these people, her heart had belonged to only him...
And he knew that none of these people would have hurt her the way he had.  'And I thought I
loved her the most...' Darien thought sadly.
        Now Darien was waiting to see Serena privately.  Finally it was his turn.  He entered the
room and the door shut behind him with a loud bang.  It was silent.  Darien didn't even breathe.
The light above the coffin was the only one lit up in the room; the buzz from that light, the only
sound audible.  Darien felt his legs begin to give way but he desperately kept them in check.
Now, he strode up to the coffin and climbed the five steps it took to get to her.
        Darien glanced down at the lifeless body in the coffin, HER coffin and felt his heart rise to
his throat.  It was the first time his eyes had had been forced to look upon this girl, this child.  He
desperately tried to hold back a sob, but couldn't seem to manage.  The noise he produced wasn't
loud, but it was there; and the anguish he felt as he stared down at her lovely face, now lifeless,
and slightly blue, had filled that noise.  Darien's body was tense and rigid, hands clenched, one of
them gripping the life out of a handkerchief, and arms clung to his sides.  His muscles ached from
their stiffness and constant strain.  His eyes stung from the tears that had consumed him the night
before, and the night before that, and the night before that... all the way back until the night she
died.  It was his fault, he knew.  He knew it was because of what he'd done, as good intentioned
as he had been.  But what was the point of carrying good intentions if it had ended up with her in
a coffin?  The finality of her death crept in as he gazed at her, laying there.  Dead.  He couldn't
believe that was it.  That couldn't be it.  There had always been something he could do, could say,
could think that would make events turn out favorable.  Was it possible that at the early age of
eighteen, the best part of his life was already over?  Yes.  The best part was over.  What did he
have left?
        Darien bent his head further over her motionless body.  He felt another pang of
guilt clout his unfed stomach.  She was beautiful in white.  He sucked back a sob and slowly
dipped down and kissed her cheek.  It was like brushing his lips against ice itself.  A cold chill
swept through him and he rose back up.  He sobbed loudly now, unable to stop it, then lost
control. He felt his body collapse over her, head pressed against her icy chest and listened for a
heartbeat in vain.  He sobbed and screamed her name, begging her to come back.  Didn't she
understand?  She couldn't just leave!  Not now!  Not EVER!...  And what of the others?  They
wanted her back, too.
        But it was over, Darien knew.  He slowly lifted his head from her body and sobbed a few
times more, not wanting to leave.  The others had allowed him to be alone with her, although they
secretly thought he despised her, now.  He couldn't blame them.  His actions had articulated just
that.  Until now.  Darien took one last glance at her and touched her cheek with the back of his
right hand and stroked it gently.  "I will visit you everyday, and make sure that you always have
fresh roses on your grave, my love.  I will love you eternally, even though you're not here.  There
will never be another.  These are promises I make to you, and I will keep them, unlike the others I
made.  Please, forgive me for that, Serena."  With that, Darien turned and ran out of the room in
sobs.
        The Scouts saw Darien's exit and became eminently worried.  They had never seen Darien in
such a state of chaos.  He tripped and stumbled outside and rushed to his car.  The Scouts tried to
follow, but they could not keep up with a running vehicle, at least not without being transformed.
They decided to check on Darien later that night.
        Now it was Raye's turn with Serena.  She entered the room in much the same way Darien
did.  She reached Serena and began to speak.
        "Look, Serena.  I know you and I haven't always gotten along great.  I was jealous that I had
worked so hard for everything I have ever gotten and there you were.  A completely, carefree girl,
who was handed everything I wanted.  I wanted to be leader of the Scouts, I wanted to be in
charge of the Crystal, and I wanted Darien.  I always felt like it wasn't fair, and I was determined
to hate you, to mock you.  You see, I couldn't like you.  But you know what Serena...  I couldn't
help liking you.  I found myself enjoying our little arguments and the way you would steal my
comics.  I liked hearing your laugh and seeing the way you were impressed with the smallest
things.  You were so full of life and saw everything and everyone with such beauty that I no
longer found myself jealous of you, but wanting to learn from you.  I wanted to be that carefree
and happy.  So you see Serena," Raye reached out and touched the coffin.
        Raye was suddenly hit by a strange sensation.  She saw red and Serena crying out for help.
Then it was gone.  Raye no longer sensed anything, like the vision had been extinguished.  Raye
looked down at her body.  Serena was still in the same position, still lifeless.  Her body seemingly
unaware that anything of importance had just occurred.
        Raye finished her speech, but decided to return to the temple and speak to the fire about her
vision.

        Lita and Mina arrived at Darien's apartment.  They knocked on the door, lightly at first, but
he didn't answer.  "Darien?  You in there?" Lita called, concerned.  They got no response.  Lita
and Mina exchanged worried glances and Mina banged on the door with her fist.  They had seen
his car out front in the lot so they knew he was here.  "Darien?  Open the door please!" Mina
pleaded.
        That's when they heard a slight crash in the apartment.  Mina gasped and hurriedly tried the
doorknob.  It opened but was stopped quickly by a small chain.  Lita and Mina looked at each
other once more realizing what they had to do.  Mina backed away and Lita took a few steps back
before throwing herself against the door.  Lita grunted as she hit the door with great force, giving
her body a small amount of pain on her right side.  She managed to break the lock and the door
swung open.  Lita had merely pulled the dead bolt out of the wall.
        They quickly entered the room and looked around for the bathroom.  They stopped dead in
their tracks and glanced around Darien's normally clean and orderly apartment.  Tables upturned,
lamps broken, glass everywhere, fabric that were most likely once his clothes lay strewn about,
couch cushions looking as if they had been slashed open with a knife had stuffing scattered
everywhere.  Lita gasped as she saw the crack that went across the picture of Serena and Darien,
still resting on the mantle.  Both girls were stunned until they heard a loud sob escape from the
bathroom.  Their eyes fixated on the door and they cleared a way to it.  Lita and Mina raced to
the door and opened it.  Neither of them were prepared for the sight that greeted them.
        Darien sat against the sink cabinets on the floor, in a jersey and boxers, pills strewn
everywhere.  Darien had a handful of medication in his hand and was looking down at them, ready
to shove them in his mouth.  Lita didn't have time to think.  She had accessed the situation
immediately.  Darien was going to end his life.  She did not know how many pills Darien had
already ingested.  She hoped it wasn't many, or any at all.  She dove for the hand with the pills
and hit his body with full force.  "No Darien!" Mina screamed frantically.  "No!  No!  No!  No!
NO!"  Her screams became a tortured chant as she watched Lita and Darien struggle.
        When Lita knocked the pills out of his hand it was like it was the first time he had noticed
her presence in the room.  He was so lost in his task, he had failed to hear their knocks, hear their
calls... But now he cried out with horror and ire as he now had to fight to complete what he had
started.  He tried to wrestle away from her grip.  Darien was in a daze of emotional pain.  He
desperately tried to grab as many pills as possible and shoved them in his mouth.  Lita groaned.
Darien's struggles were hard for her to contend with.  In the state he was in, he was stronger due
to an adrenaline rush.  She had pinned him to the floor, she was laying on his back, his stomach
pressed into the cold tile.  Lita, unable to reach both of his arms.  Darien grasped at the scattered
pills, starting to shove them in his mouth and swallowing.
        "No!  Darien, NO!" Mina still screamed.  With him pinned, she now went over to him and
grabbed his arms and brought them to where Lita could pin them as well. Lita took his arms and
raised herself off Darien, bringing both of them up intoa kneeling position, with her holding his
arms behind his back, Mina kneeling in front of him.
        "Let me go, Lita!  Mina, make her stop!  Let me finish!  I have to be with her!!  I.....can't...
live.....without her." Darien voice broke and he sobbed openly.  Darien struggled against Lita a
bit, but she held him firm.  Slowly she led him to his room and laid him down on the bed.  Darien
now exhausted and quite out of it due to the meds he had swallowed stayed there without fuss.
He laid there for about fifteen minutes, thus giving the girls a chance to regain their bearings.
        "My Baby.  Serena?"  Darien had turned his body upwards, and he became excited and
grabbed Mina's face and kissed her.  "Oh Serena," he said smoothing Mina's hair, "Oh I just
wanted to tell you that I love you.  I love you so much, Baby."  He took Mina's face in his hands.
His eyes were glazed over and Mina felt tears stream down her cheeks as she realized that Darien
thought she was Serena.  She wailed in squeaks.  "And now you've come back to me, my Love."
Darien finished.
        "No.... No.... No...." Mina whispered through her whimpers, shaking her head slightly.
Darien laid back down on the bad and took Mina with him, turning them both on their sides,
Darien placed his arm around Mina's waist and pulled her close.
        "I'm never letting you go, Serena." Darien chokingly whispered.  Mina broke and began to
cry, her high pitched voice squeaking as tear drops rolled down from her blue eyes that were now
squinted shut.  Lita held back tears as she saw Darien clinging to a girl who he thought was his
love.
        Soon, Darien drifted to sleep, despite Mina's whimpers and she was able to get up and seek
comfort in Lita.  "We had better take turns watching him."  Lita said.  "He might try to hurt
himself again."
        Mina nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.  "Can you do it first?  I need some time." Mina
squeaked out.  Lita placed a hand on her shoulder and wiped the tears from her friend's eyes with
her other hand.  She nodded towards the door and said, "You go home and get some rest.  I'll
watch him.  Just do me a favor and tell Amy to come relieve me tomorrow morning.  K?"  Mina
said she would and headed out.
        Lita sighed and began trying to clean up Darien's apartment.  She couldn’t stand being in a
big mess and she needed something to take her mind off of recent happenings.

        Raye returned home and changed from the black dress she had worn to Serena's funeral and
decided to take a shower.  Her muscles ached all over from her persistent crying and it was now
taking its toll on Raye.  She dropped the dress outside the door and climbed under the warm,
soothing water.  She let the water wash over her and enjoyed the way it seemed to wash away her
troubles as well, and relax her.  She needed to be relaxed after all that had happened these past
days.  Raye's Grandpa had become increasingly stubborn about taking the medication the doctor
gave him and Chad didn't help by praising him on his good condition.  When Serena died, it hit
home for Raye that death was a real possibility for anyone.  Especially Grandpa.  Raye washed her
hair and retreated from the soothing waters.  She dressed comfortably in her priestess gown and
slowly sauntered out to the temple room with the sacred fire.  Raye knew she must prepare for a
long, tedious session due to the fact that she knew something was blocking her visions.  Or at
least, blocking that one in particular.
        Raye reached for a pillow and sat it in front of the fire.  She lowered herself on the pillow
and folded her hands and chanted for the fire to gain strength.  The fire responded by growing in
height and intensity and Raye slowly lifted her head and began to chant for visions, simple at first,
allowing the fire to build up to the task she would soon set before it.  First she asked for a vision
of Serena's family, how they were doing.  She saw Sammy appear very angry and very upset,
Sensing his extensive knowledge about Darien and the Sailor Scouts.  Raye was shocked and
decided to take this vision further.  She asked the fire to show her how Sammy found out.  The
fire obeyed and revealed a vision of Serena, alone.  Raye knew then that Serena had told her
brother because she felt abandoned by everyone else, including the Sailor Scouts.  Raye felt a
pang of guilt as she knew if she had been there for Serena rather than scold her, Sammy would
have never found out and Serena wouldn't have told him anything.  Raye put her emotions aside
and concentrated on the task at hand.
        The next vision Raye got was of what had just transpired with Lita, Mina, and Darien.  She
now fully sensed how deeply Darien was hurt.  She hadn't realized that his love ran that deep for
her.  From the way he acted, you sometimes thought he didn't even like he, much less have such
deep seated emotions such as this!  She felt Lita's presence, sad but all right.  She had pushed her
feelings down and away from her, not dealing with them and doing the Lita thing of not admitting
she was hurt.  Raye knew that wasn't good for her, but could do nothing to stop her from dealing
with death this way.
        Raye concentrated, again asking for a different vision.  She wanted to check on Mina.  She
immediately got a vision of Mina on her bed, curled up, crying, inconsolable.  'Well, at least she's
letting it out.' Raye thought.  Raye refocused and then began to chant vigorously with specific
intent.  She chanted for the fire to show her the vision she had received earlier.
        Raye focused on the moment before she received the vision and brought the fire through the
course of events with her, until she got to the vision.  She saw herself reaching out and touching
Serena's coffin and then the vision began.  Raye felt an evil presence trying to block her mind.
Raye chanted but louder and began using her power to override the block.  She began to see
images.  Images of Serena's body laying on the street.  Then in a flash she saw the attack.  She
saw Serena pinned and convulsing and screaming with pain as she felt like she was ripped to
shreds.  Raye then saw the body of Serena rise, back turned to Raye in her vision.  A light opened
before Serena and Raye saw her start to walk towards it.  Just before entering, Serena turned her
face to Raye, except it wasn't Serena's face!  It was the face of the droid they had killed earlier.
The droid face cackled mockingly and turned back to the light.  She walked Serena in, only for
Raye to hear Serena scream with agony on the other side.
        Raye came out of the vision with a flash.  Her head felt as though it had been hit.  She
reached up and rubbed her temples groaning softly.  Raye was tired and sweating with effort.  It
had taken a lot of energy to keep that vision going.  Raye stared confusedly at the fire, now
having returned to its normal size.  Raye did a chant of thanks and slowly was able to regain
control of her limbs.  She got up and walked to the temple's sacred text room.  She was not sure
what to make of the vision.  She walked across the room to a large book shelf.  These were all the
books on rules of the temple, sacred fire how-to’s, prophesies, legends, and texts on the gods of
the old.  Now Raye looked to these books for guidance as she tried to interpret her vision.
        She turned to the section of books that contained legends.  Often times, the droids they
faced had been seen before and they were recorded in these books from when they first attacked.
Until recently, Raye had been unsure as to how these books, from Earth, contained the goings on
of the other planets during the Silver Millennium.  She had figured that they were kept on Earth,
and since Earth was never destroyed during the battles with Queen Beryl, the texts just got buried
or pushed aside, forgetting the Silver Millennium, until someone found them and sold them to the
temple.  But now Raye figured that Sailor Pluto probably saved them and gave them to the
temple, knowing that the Scouts would have access to them there, considering Raye was a Scout.
        Raye browsed through the legends of one book.  She could never tell the monsters that were
just that, legends, from the ones she would have to face. There must have been thousands upon
thousands of monsters, demons, and such written in these books.  Maybe if she could somehow
find one that fit the description of the droid they had faced, she could better interpret the vision.
        Raye stayed up through the night, skimming one book after another, repeated motions of
flipping pages and glancing at hand drawn pictures.  She knew that the droid had something to do
with emotions and decided to skim the texts for that.  She found information about several
attackers from previous battles, including the lion that had attacked Lita's friend Ken a while back.
She also found something about two lonely children that wandered the galaxy with a tree that
gave them life.  'Alan and Ann' she thought to herself.  The book talked in more detail about the
history of their home planet, but Raye couldn't stop to browse now.
        Finally in the seventeenth book she was reading she found a group of legendary beings that
were known as "Polydectes's Thieves".  Raye knew the Polydectes was another name for Hades,
and from the looks of the text, it would have been written by a Latin man from Earth.  There were
fifteen men in the small picture next to the legend, one of them highly resembling the droid.  Raye
read on and was shocked at what she found.

@)>--------<<--------
        My mother asked me if I wanted to leave now.  I thought about it for a long moment.  'If I
leave now, I won't be there for my friends.  Darien might not need me, but I know that they will.
I would feel like a lousy friend if I didn't stay.'  Finally, I looked back up to Queen Serenity's face.
"My friends need me." I told her dutifully.  "I will stay a while longer, whether or not Darien
needs me."  My mother got a strange scowl on her face, but then quickly smiled with
understanding.  "Very well, Serena.  It is your decision."
        I thanked her and headed out to the reception hall.  I watched the video my parents had
assembled.  They had started it over for late comers.  I saw my first birthday party, my first lost
tooth, my first ice skating lesson...  wait.  Ice skating lesson?  In this life?  I didn't remember
having ice skating lessons.  But there it was on the video.  I figured I had just forgotten and
continued to watch.  There were pictures of Rini and me, Sammy, with my mom and dad, with the
girls, even a picture of me and Darien.  Slow music played in the background and I watched as
many people had tears in their eyes by the end.
        After the funeral, I went home with Luna and Amy.  They went up to Amy's room after her
mom questioned Amy a while on the funeral.  Amy went upstairs and the two settled on her bed.
Amy cried a bit but then dried her face.  She blew her nose in a tissue and sat up.  She reached for
the TV remote and clicked it on.  "Amy's watching TV?  That's not like her." I giggled.  Maybe I
had rubbed off on Amy more then she or I realized.  She and Luna watched a comedy or
something and began laughing.  They were already showing signs of recovery.  'Rather fast.' I
thought.  'Oh well.  I guess Amy and Luna are just better at dealing with pain than I am.'
        I turned to Queen Serenity as I knew she would be behind me.  She was.  "May I visit
Mina?" I asked.  Queen Serenity nodded.  "Of course."  She raised her hands and as she did so the
objects in the room swirled.  When they stopped, we were in Mina's room.  Mina, Raye, Lita, and
Molly were sitting on the floor drinking tea and playing a board game.  They seemed to be fine
too.  "You see Serena, your friends will be all right without you around.  They can't sense your
presence.  They need to move on as much as you do.  Now, why do you not come with me and I
will take you to a place of glory that you will be so happy in, you will not feel any pain, ever
again?  Hmm?"
        "I want to see Darien.  Show me Darien." I begged her.  I needed to at least see him one last
time.  "You will not enjoy the sight that greets you, Dear."  She brought me to Darien apartment.
I was in his bedroom as was he... and Danielle.  They were under the sheets and were obviously in
the act of something that Darien and I had never done in these bodies on Earth.  Tears stung my
eyes, yet again, and I ran from the room.  Serenity was outside waiting for me.  She had known I
wouldn't be long.  I felt so betrayed.  Even more so than before.
        "My family.  I wish to see my family." I demanded as I cried.  I was brought to the dinner
table where Sammy, Rini, Mom, and Dad sat.  Rini occupied my usual chair and now her old chair
had been removed.  They were eating and having a normal conversation about work and school.
'They don't even miss me.' I thought sadly.  I felt my legs give way and I fell to the floor in a heap
of tears.
        Serenity came over to me and cradled me in her arms.  "I know Dear, I know... Shhh.  It's all
right.  I'm here for you, my daughter.  I know this hurts, but this is just what happens to people
after someone they love dies.  They get over it.  As you should.  Come with me and all your tears
will be gone.  I promise." Serenity told me.  I looked up at her and nodded.  "All right."
        Serenity opened the portal and I moved towards it, a brilliant light showed through.  I felt
the heat of the light on my face as I edged closer.  I would leave this world forever. Never again
feeling pain.

@)>-------<<-----------
        Raye read the entry.  It was written as follows.

Polydectes's Thieves
Polydectes, god of the underworld, husband to Persipina, goddess of Spring, daughter of Ceres.
Polydectes ruled over the souls of the dead, a right given him by Jove himself, the supreme ruler
of the gods.  However, it has been said that not all of the souls have arrived at Polydectes or
Mount Olympus.  Instead, they were kidnapped and taken to a place of far worse punishment than
Hell.  These were the stolen souls of the dead.  The thieves of the dead angered Jove and he
threatened them and ordered them to appear before him so that he may cast verdict upon their
behavior.  The thieves showed and Jove questioned them saying, "Why have you stolen the souls
that belong to Polydectes."  The thieves answered with,  "That is how we survive."  Jove was an
understanding god and did not see fit to sentence the thieves to death.  Instead he passed
judgment that they would not take a soul, unless the soul wished to follow them, rather than die,
but that they could no longer steal the soul.  They may use powers of persuasion but they may not
steal.  If the soul should refuse after five days, the thief must then send the soul to Polydectes.
Such was the decree.  It is said that the thieves would attack a person and then will their soul back
to the world of the thieves.  There have been many who have fallen into the thieves' trap and have
so suffered there the unimaginable tortures.  Reader, beware of the light.  It will be an eternal
mistake to follow a thief.

        Raye sat up and realized that the droid they had faced did not die, but instead merely
escaped from the body it inhabited.  The spirit of the Polydectes's Thief stayed with Serena and
attacked her when she was vulnerable.  If Serena hadn't given up her life yet, maybe they could
revive her?  Raye didn't see anything that said that you could bring back a soul once it was dead,
but if her soul was still with her body...?
        Raye looked up at the extensive number of books above her.  If she was going to find a way
to help Serena, she was going to need all the help she could get.  Raye decided to call the Scouts.
She glanced at the clock.  9:00!?  Raye realized she had worked through the night!

        Mina and Artemis were playing Sailor V.  Mina was loosing from lack of effort.  She had
hoped the game would cheer her up, but it didn't.  Artemis was equally sad, but also concerned
for Mina.  He knew none of the Sailors would be able to fight in their present state.  That's just
when Mina's communicator sounded.  Mina took a minute to realize what the sound was, or even
that there was a sound.  She finally jumped and was brought back to reality.  It was Raye.
        "Hey you guys, I think I can save Serena, but I need your help."
        "What about Darien?  Should I bring him.  He's really out of it." Mina heard Amy's voice
say.
        "Bring him, Amy.  Maybe if he feels better, he can help too.  Until then, I'll lay out a mat for
him." she heard Raye answer.
        "You sure this isn't some form of denial, Raye?  You really think there's a chance to save
her?" Lita asked worriedly.
        'Understandable that Lita would ask.  After all, NOBODY knew what to expect after what
happened with Darien.' Mina thought.
        Raye said she was sure and everyone headed over to the temple.

        Everyone arrived with in a half hour.  Lita was first.  She came in and Raye took her to the
room with the texts.  Lita was appalled at the sight of disarray.  Raye had books everywhere.
Raye put a hand behind her head and laughed nervously.  A teardrop appeared by the side of her
forehead.
        "Uh, sorry.  It's kind of a mess."
        "Kind of?!" Lita exclaimed.  "Looks like one of my lightning attacks went through here!"
        Lita cleared a place on the floor and sat down.  She was followed by Mina who came in
clutching Artemis.  She wandered slowly over to where Lita was and sat down.  Luna, Amy, and
Darien were the last to arrive.  Darien was still wearing his boxers and jersey and Raye led him to
a futon.  He laid down, not closing his eyes, with a blank expression on his face.  Amy sat herself
down by Mina and Raye proceeded on filling everyone in.
        "When I was talking to Serena alone yesterday, I had a vision.  I saw Serena calling for help.
I decided to investigate and came home.  When I consulted the fire I found out that there was
something evil inside her body, giving her the appearance of death.  That's when I started going
through books and I found this."  Raye handed Mina the book with the entry about Polydectes's
Thieves.
        "That's her!  Amy exclaimed, pointing to one of the fifteen in the drawing.
        "Yeah." Lita agreed, glancing up from the entry itself.
        "The only problem is, it doesn't say how to bring back her soul.  I need your guys's help to
find any information about Polydectes's Thieves in these books. Lita and Mina developed huge
teardrops on the side of their faces as they looked up at the extensive library.  Amy, on the other
hand, seemed delighted.
        They read, and read, and read, and read.  Mina found a little something in her fifth book, but
it was only as a mention of attendance to a social event.
        Amy found out they only prey at night, although they can show themselves in the daytime.
They just prefer the night time for the cover of darkness.
        Finally Raye stumbled on what she was looking for in her twentieth book.
        "Hey you guys!  I found something!" she called.  It was a book that described gods.  The
other girls stopped their reading and came to look over Raye's shoulder.

...She was attacked.  Her body was filled with the negative energy of a Polydectes Thief
by the title of Jocrast.  Her husband did not wish his wife to die.  Thus he gathered the power of a
thousand angels and began cleansing her body.  The Angels spoke of encouragement, glad to be
saving a soul. Jocrast was cast out of her in an instant and his wife was returned to him because of
her power and the Angels around.  Although she was dead by a mortal wound, the Angels took
pity on her and healed her.  Thus life was restored to her.

        "So basically we need to get her body, get some angels, and heal her.  Piece of cake!" Lita
commented.
        "Lita, these are legends.  We can bend the rules a bit." Mina stated.
        "That's right." Raye confirmed.  "Amy.  You and Lita head over and get Serena's body.
Bring her back here and Mina, Luna, Artemis, and I will try to figure out a way to save her."
        Lita and Amy agreed and transformed into Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury.  They could
move a lot faster and they wouldn't be questioned in this form.  They headed out the door of the
temple and ran down the streets of Tokyo.
        After what seemed like several miles, Jupiter and Mercury arrived where Serena's body was
being kept until burial.  They tried the doors, but they were locked.  It was a Sunday and the place
was closed until tomorrow.  "Perhaps we should come back tomorrow." Mercury suggested."
        Jupiter shook her head.  "We don't have time for that.  Tomorrow will be Serena's fifth day,
and if we don't finish by sunset tomorrow, we will have lost her anyway.  I just hope she hasn't
already gone with that Thief!"  Jupiter jumped to the roof.  There was a stairwell up there, but the
door was locked as well.
        "We'll see about that!" Jupiter cried.  "JUPITER.....  THUNDER CLAP..... ZAP!!"
        The door was blown in.  "We're in!" Jupiter sang as she stepped in.  Mercury groaned at the
thought of her friend being able to destroy public property without a second thought.
        'It's amazing the city doesn't send us a bill with her around!' Mercury thought.  But she
followed Jupiter inside.

        "What if we used the power of the sacred fire to cleanse her body." Artemis suggested.  He
was laying down by Luna and had his feet tucked under him.  The cats sat atop a pile of books.
        "Won't that burn her?" Mina asked, shocked at the suggestion.
        "Yeah, it will.  So unless you all want crispy fried Meatballs, we should think of another
option." Raye giggled.
        "Has Darien tried kissing her yet?  True love thing again?" Mina questioned.  They all
remembered when Serena was about to sleep forever, but became Sleeping Beauty when Tuxedo
Mask kissed her and healed her.
        "Yes.  He kissed Serena before when we found her." Luna reminded them.
        "What about a Sailor Planet Power.  I bet that would work." Mina threw out.
        "Maybe if you girls all gave your strength to Raye, she could beat the attacker.  After all, her
being a priestess, she is the closest to an angel that we've got."  Raye blushed at Luna's comment
and smiled slightly.
        "Worth a shot." Raye told them.  Just then Lita and Amy returned, Lita carrying Serena's
body in her arms.
        Darien perked up.  "Serena!"  He yelled, running to Mina.  Mina burst into tears again and
just hid behind Raye.  Darien snapped out of it and collapsed on the floor amidst the wealth
books.  "What happened?  How did I get here?" he asked.
        "You tried to overdose, remember?" Lita reminded him.  He looked at Lita briefly and then
seemed to remember everything.  He nodded and glanced up and Mina.  In a dejected voice he
said, "Sorry Mina."
        Mina crawled back out from behind Raye and moved to hug Darien.  Lita had taken Serena
and laid her in front of the fire, head closest to it and feet facing away from it.  They explained to
a now normal Darien what had occurred.  They all joined Lita around Serena and Raye began to
chant to the fire for strength.  Raye and Darien sat on opposite sides of Serena's head, closest to
the fire. Mina and Lita sat down from them a ways by Serena's waist.  Amy sat by Mina and the
cats across from her.  They had said they wanted to try to help too.
        The girls and Darien transformed and sat back down.  Now they joined hands (and paws)
around her body.
        "Mars... Star.... Power!!!" Mars yelled.  She began to glow and had asked the fire to allow
her to send a message to Serena saying to help Mars fight the demon within her.  Mars glowed
and started to draw power from the others.  But as soon as Raye had opened the link, she felt a
surge of energy racing towards her.  Mars was hit and blasted across the room.  Flashes of what
seemed like lightning traveled through her body and the other Scouts came running.
        Mars sat up and rubbed her head and groaned.  "The Thief blasted me.  He BLASTED me?
Why that NOGOODLOUSYEVILSOULSTEALINGGOODFORNOTHINGBLOODSUCKING
CRAPEATINGSONOFANEGAWEASEL!!!!"
        "She's fine." Jupiter called back to the cats.
        "But you guys, I don't know what to do.  It didn't work.  There's nothing more we can do.
The legend might not have even been true.  Maybe there is no way to defeat a Polydectes's Thief.

@)>--------<<-----------

        I turned away from the light.  "No.  Mother, I know that my friends do not need me.  But,
they are my friends.  I want to see what happens to them.  Will Rini find her mother?  Will Lita
get her date with Andrew and open a restaurant?  Will Darien marry Rini or Danielle?  Will Raye
become a Priestess?  Will Luna and Artemis FINALLY hit it off?  What will Sammy be?  Will
Mina go back to being a Sailor V dream?  What will Amy become?  She's qualified for
EVERYTHING!  What will happen to the Nega Moon.  What will Crystal Tokyo be like?  You
see, I want to watch them.  I wanted to be there on their wedding days, to see my friends have
children, to grow up with them.  It doesn't matter that they can't see me. I want to be with them,
Mother."
        Queen Serenity glared at me intently.  "Honey, they don't need you.  You will only be
torturing yourself.  If they get hurt, you will not be able to help them.  When they're crying, you
will not be able to comfort them.  You will become frustrated and you will tire of just being an
onlooker, and no longer a participant in their lives.  Come with me Serena."
        I shook my head.  "If tire, I will leave then.  Until that time, I wish to stay.  I thank you for
your concern, Mother."  I pivoted back to watch my family.
        "Serena!"  She yelled.  I turned around stunned.  My mother had never once raised her voice
to me.  Why would she now?  Surely she understood that this would be difficult for me.  Her
hands clutched to her sides, she forced a smile and spoke through gritted teeth.
        "Serena, Dear, I would really like you to come with me."

@)>-------<<---------

        "Okay, here goes."  Mars began to chant for the fire to allow them to see what was going on
with Serena and the Thief.
        A apparition appeared in the fire and they saw Serena talking with Queen Serenity.
        "Serena's scared.  She knows something's not right.  But she doesn't know what.  The thief is
trying to convince her to come with her.  The thief is disguised as Queen Serenity!" Mars called
out.  The other watched as they saw Serenity become angry.
        "She's distracted!  Try to send another message!" Luna yelled.
        The scouts quickly resumed their places and Raye started over, chanting, attempting to enter
Serena's mind.
        Mars could feel herself getting through.  "Serenity evil.... Don't go towards light!" she tried
to communicate.

@)>-----<<---------

        "Mother, why are you so desperate for me to go now?" I asked.
        "Because..... I-I just don't want you to go through what I did after my funeral, Serena.  It's
easier this way, Dear."
        I stood there for a moment, accepting this answer and about to go with her when it hit me.
        "Wait a minute.  You didn't HAVE a funeral.  You died on the Moon when everyone else
went to the future.  There was nobody to give you funeral."  I hesitated.  Who are you?"
        "Don't argue with me, Serena, just COME!" Serenity screamed angrily.
        "No!  You're not real.  Come to think of it, there have been a lot of things not right...
Darien's memory of the Moon Kingdom, your temper, everyone recovering so quickly, the ice
skating lessons that I never took on Earth, Raye not sensing me... This isn't real!  Is it?  This is all
some sort of dream.  An illusion... That YOU made!  That's it, isn't it?  Where are you REALLY
trying to take me?"  I heard Raye's voice like a loudspeaker in the dream.  "Serenity... Evil....
Don't go towards light."
        "Raye!!"  Can you hear me?  Raye?!!"
        "NOOOOOO!!!  GET OUT OF HERE!" Serenity yelled furiously.  I saw Serenity glow and
pulse a light.
        "WHAT ARE YOU????" I screamed.
        Suddenly, Serenity turned into the droid that I had defeated before.  My eyes widened with
fear.  I bolted from the dining room and ran into the street.  I was able to pass through the walls
like air and I just ran.  I could not defend myself from this.... this... thing that had disguised itself
as my mother considering I couldn't transform into Sailor Moon.  I was helpless.

@)>-------<<---------

        "We gotta help her defeat this thing!" Jupiter yelled.
        "Try Sailor Planet Power!" Artemis ordered.
        "Mars Star Power!"
        "Mercury Star Power!"
        "Venus Star Power!"
        "Jupiter Star Power!"
        "SAILOR PLANET POWER!!!" they yelled.  Light shown around all of them and the power
initiated.  After a few long minutes they stopped after Darien told them he saw no difference in
Serena's situation in the fire.
        The Scouts came out exhausted.  They had no affect on the droid.  Luna had taken off
somewhere, and they could only watch as Serena ran through the city.  Then suddenly, it was
black.  They saw Serena look around in wonder.  The Polydectes Thief stood behind her,
laughing.

@)>------<<----------

        I turned around and faced the droid.  She laughed at my expression.
        "What did you expect Serena?  I control this whole thing!  If you come with me peacefully, I
will not painfully force you into going."  The light opened up between us.  The droid became
surprisingly close to me, causing me to cry out.
        "Go on Serena...  If you go now, I will not harm you."  I looked into the light again.  Raye
had told me not to go in.  I was going to listen to her.  I could trust Raye.  This creature, I could
not.  Then something occurred to me that hadn't earlier.
        "No.  I don't think you CAN make me.  Or else you would have made me a long time ago.
Why waste time with this charade if you could simply force me to go with you.  I have to go
willingly, don't I?
        "You are not making this any easier, Serena."
        "That's the idea, Negascum!" I screamed.
        "I might not be able to force you to go with me Serena, but be sure I can still send you
somewhere else!"  The droid suddenly stood there with a sword.  "Now get in!  Or I'll slice you
up so bad, you'll wish you had!"

@)>---------<<------------

        "No Serena!  Don't do it!"  Venus cried.
        "Serena, come back to me!" Tuxedo Mask yelled in desperation.
        "Fight it Serena!" Mars screamed.
        "Kick the broad's ass!" Jupiter encouraged.
        Just then Luna returned... holding Serena's locket in her mouth.  She set it down at the
Scout's feet.
        "Put this on Serena.  Maybe the locket will appear in her dream."
        Jupiter lifted the locket and placed it in the middle of Serena's chest.
        They turned back to the fire and waited.  They watched for the locket to appear.  The droid
got closer to Serena, but she stayed put, not moving towards the light.
        "It didn't work!" Venus cried in dismay.
        "Now what'll we do?" Mercury asked, tears once again forming in her blue eyes.
        "Look!" Artemis called out.  They all turned towards Serena's body.  The locket began to
glow.  The Silver Crystal rose up out of it and hovered there for a short while before shooting
itself into Serena's chest.
        The droid was right above Serena now, ready to send her to wherever it was she wanted her
to go, when the Silver Crystal appeared in front of her.
        The Scouts cheered as Serena transformed into Supreme Princess Serena and once again
held the Crescent Moon Wand.  The droid stumbled back in surprise a few paces.

@)>--------<<-------------

        "Back off, Demon!" I yelled.  I didn't know how the Scouts did it, but I was grateful.
        "Put that thing away." the droid ordered.
        "Cosmic Moon Power!" I screamed.  The Silver Crystal glowed and shot several blasts at the
droid.  The droid fell back and laid there a minute.  I could almost hear my friend's cheers of joy.
But I knew she wasn't dead.  Sure enough she rose again.
        "If not today Princess, some other day.  You will be mine.  You WILL follow me, mark my
words."
        "Go to Hell." I ordered, narrowing my eyes.
        A new portal opened and in an instant, she vanished.  I felt an intense floating sensation.  I
felt dizzy, ready to collapse.  Then I experienced a sensation that I hadn't felt in days.  Boom.
Boom.  My heart.  It began to beat.

@)>-------<<----------

        I blinked once, then again, my eyes desperately readjusting to the light.  My body completely
stiff, I awoke to loud cries of triumph and tears of incredible joy.  I slowly lifted my head and sat
up, examining my garment.  It was the same as the one the droid had created.  I glanced up in
time to find myself embraced by Mina, who had streaks running down her cheeks.  She grabbed
me, almost roughly and held me.  She nestled her face in my hair, which was down.  Her voice
broke as she talked.  "Oh, hey there pumpkin!  I am so glad you came back to us!" she whispered
shakily.
        I held Mina tight in my arms.  Something told me Mina had taken my death the hardest.  I
released her only to be immediately embraced by Lita.  "I am going to make you the BIGGEST
dinner, Serena!" she giggled.  My belly leapt at the thought of food.  I had not eaten in almost five
days.  Next Amy hugged me briefly.  "Welcome back, Serena." she told me warmly.
        Finally, Raye lifted her face to mine.  She gently placed her arms around my neck and I held
her for a long moment.  "Thank you, Raye." I breathed.  She tightened her grip and said,
"Anytime you need it Serena."  We held each other's embrace, not wanting to let go for fear we
would emotionally separate as well.  I finally understood Raye, and I sensed that she was
somehow supplied with the same new awareness.
        Raye broke away.  I glanced down and saw the cats smiling up at me.  "Serena." Luna
breathed.  She didn't need to speak anymore words for that one was filled with chapters of
emotion.  Artemis just nodded and went to go find Mina outside.  Raye also stood and left the
room.
        I did not understand why until I felt his arms creep around my waist.  My heart leapt as he
began to kiss my exposed collar bone and worked his way up my neck. I felt warm tears falling
against my skin.  His warm tears.  Tears now shed, rather than before.  I reached my arms back
and placed them around his neck and leaned back into his chest.  He dipped his head and kissed
my lips tenderly at first.  He kissed me again and again, for the first time since Rini had arrived,
causing me to cry out with surprise, excitement, and relief.  These were the sweetest kisses he had
given me during our lives on Earth.  He moved so that his chest pressed against mine and he
brought me into a close and tight embrace.  He pushed me backwards, once again laying on my
back.  He laid beside me, one arm across my stomach, the other supporting his weight.  He kissed
me more passionately and more.
        But no.  As wonderful as this felt, I could not allow it to continue.  I broke our present kiss
and pushed his body off of mine.  He cried out in protest and confusion, but when he saw my
expression he ceased all fussing.  I sat up and looked him in the eyes.
        "We can't do this Darien.  *I* can't do this.  I can't let you just kiss me and pretend you
never dumped me!" I exclaimed, anger and pain rushing back to me.  He sat there stunned for a
moment.  He lowered his head and nodded knowingly.
        "Serena, I know.  I messed up.  I was having nightmares, Serena.  They told me... They told
me..." Darien bit his lower lip, but it quivered.  I saw tears well in his blue eyes again but he
continued.  "They told me, if I was around you, if I loved you, you would die.  I wanted to
protect you, Babe.  Really... I never meant to abandon you."
        Sharp knives slashed my heart to pieces as I watched the person who meant most to me in
the world cry over a mistake he committed.  But I knew it wasn't a count of just one mistake.  It
was many.  He had made so many mistakes that most women would have dumped him long ago.
He never opened up, even to me, he never held my hand, rarely showed physical interest, insulted
me, I was sure he said nasty things about me to the Scouts behind my back...  Now he had to
'protect' me?  I wasn't sure I bought the story.  After all, he had been so COLD!  I could have
never turned away from him the way he did from me.  Never treated him like dirt, never make him
think I didn't love him.  I would never abandon him!  But this emotional crying with remorse
could easily be faked.  Whether he meant to or not, he abandoned me.  I had nobody there for me.
He could never understand my pain.  The only thing that kept me from killing myself was the plain
and simple fact that the Scouts needed me to fight.  That was it.
        Anger swallowed my pity and my sadness and I glared at him through my tears.  "Why didn't
you call?  Why not write a letter, Darien?  Why not ask one of the Scouts to give me a message...
Or give the letter to one of them?  Huh?  At least then I wouldn't have spent every single night,
hour after hour, crying myself to sleep trying to figure out WHY  !  Why is my lover doing this to
me? Why did you have to pretend to have a new girlfriend?  WHY DID I HAVE TO DIE FOR
YOU TO REALIZE IT WAS WRONG??????"
        I was screaming and crying in a fit of rage, agony, and confusion.  I didn't often throw fits
like this.  But now, I stood up and paced, pushing the hair continually out of my face.  Then I let
my accusations fly.
        "You never loved me, did you?  This... These kisses are from guilt aren't they!?  You used
me on the Moon and you finally got sick of pretending for 'old time's sake' after you got your
memories back!  You left me, Darien.  Let me tell you something!" I yelled, now glaring at his
pained but understanding face.  I was uncontrollably shaking and I shook my finger at him as if
scolding a child.  "I worked my butt off saving you from Beryl, only to die and lose you again.
Then I had to start over, but that time, I had to fight Ann for you.  When I finally won and you
got your memories back, Rini shows up and you run off with her!  You left me after I fought for
you!  I have gone through nothing but death, pain, fights, and grief for you Darien Chiba!" I let
my finger fall and I sucked in air as I rolled my eyes to heaven.  After a moment I looked back
into his face and threw my arms up in frustration.  Now I spoke with a choked whisper.  "And this
was how you repaid my love for you.  By leaving me and making me cry more....  You left me."  I
slumped to the floor a few feet in front of him.  Looking in no particular direction I said, "You
don't know what it's like to be abandoned by your lover, Darien."
        Darien's face turned from attentive to serious.  "I do too, Serena.  You left me for five days.
I thought you had left forever when you died."
        My head shot over to him faster than light.  I narrowed my eyes.  "That's not at ALL the
same.  First, I didn't leave you voluntarily.  It was a matter of I 'couldn't' be with you, not
'wouldn't' be with you.  Second, you didn't lose anything.  You didn't have someone walking
around knowing everything about you on Earth.  The little that you've opened up to me about
died with me.  There was no vulnerability.  No possibility that I would tell secrets or say nasty
things about your faults.  Third, you don't even love me!" I finished, succumbing to my body's
urges and fell forward in uncontrollable wails, screams, and tears.  I felt Darien's movement across
the floor.  He was moving towards me.  His hands touched my face and they lifted it to be inches
away from his own.  "I do, too Serena.  I love you more than life itself.  When you died, I tried to
die too.  To be with you!  I love you so much, Serena, it scares me, Love!" Darien's eyes searched
mine looking for a response to his words.
        "I wish I could believe that, Darien.  But right now, I need to sort out my own feelings about
you."  I glanced to the side and refused to look back at him.
        "Surely, you must still love me Serena?  Right?" Darien said, suddenly panicked.  My eyes
raised to his and I sighed.  "Would it really be that surprising to you if I didn't?  It shouldn't be.
How can you possibly be asking me to feel an emotion you never show?" I managed to whisper.
        "Serena, NO!" he called.  Then quieting, "No.  Serena how can I prove myself, my love to
you.  Tell me what to do and I'll do it.  Anything.  I'll do anything for you, Serena."  Eyes burning
I stared into his pleading eyes.  I cried out from the sheer pain apparent in them.  He was hurting.
That was obvious, but from what?  Had Danielle left him and now he was crawling back?  Was
this pain desperation?  Was I his second choice?  After Danielle?  Or Rini?  What of Rini? Darien
and she always tormented me and said such cruel things about me...  He meant them all... didn't
he?  Such feelings, such utter annoyance, could not be faked.  But now he looked at me like his
life hung on my every word.  Tears dropped on the floor from us both.  I didn't know what to
believe.  My world spun.  I had a headache.  The insistent pain in my side had returned along with
my heartbeat.  I reached out to his face with my right hand.  Darien pressed his cheek against it
and put his hand over mine, holding it there.
        "I want to believe you, Darien.  I hope so much that what you're saying is the truth.  But, I
can't.  You left me once.  How do I know you won't do it again? I can't tell you how to show your
love for me.  Your love, if it's there, comes from your heart.  Your show of love should come
from there, too.  Not from a command."
        I rose from my sitting position and pulled my hand away from his face.  I was going to head
home, but how would I explain coming back from the dead.  I gasped and rubbed my temples.  I
couldn't think right now.  I needed to take a hot shower and lay down.  I crossed the room,
ignoring Darien's small cries of my name.  My heart felt as if it were actually bleeding.  I opened a
door at the back of the temple that led to Raye's room.  I didn't think she would mind if I
showered there and laid down.  I had so many emotions.  It was impossible to sort all of them out
now.

        Darien opened the door to the front of the temple to leave.
        BANG!!!  "Ahhhh!"  "Auch!"  "Get off my arm!"  "You have your elbow in my side!"
        The girls fell forward into the fire room at Darien's feet as he opened the door.  They had all
had their ears pressed to the door, listening to every word.  Darien sighed, rolled his eyes, and
shook his head.  "Why don't you just install hidden cameras, Raye?" he asked sardonically.  The
girls glanced up, ashamed and beet red.
        "Well, you know what they say... Curiosity killed the cat." Mina tried smiling guiltily.
        "I'll say!" Artemis yelled from under the whole pile of females.  The girls quickly untangled
themselves to find two squished cats underneath.
        "Um, Raye, could I talk to you for a while?" Darien asked quietly, almost embarrassed to
make the request.
        Raye looked up confused as the question sunk in.  A small 'huh?' escaped her lips before she
realized what the topic of this conversation would be.  She nodded silently and turned to the
others.  "Why don't you guys go for a dessert or something and I'll call you when we're done.
That way we can all visit with Serena."
        The others jumped at the mention of sweets and they headed down the street, all fully aware
of what was going to be said.

        Darien and Raye retreated to the room with the texts and she began cleaning up the books.
Darien knelt beside her and picked up a few for her.  He handed the books to her as she found
where they went.
        After every book was in it's rightful place Raye turned to Darien and sighed, brushing off and
wringing her hands.  Darien looked intent upon her but obeyed when she motioned for them to sit
on the couch.  Darien avoided her eye contact as he sat down and felt sweat begin to develop on
his neck.  Raye herself was not the Queen of Cool either, although her perspiration was a
combination of using the fire and now the questions she knew would be asked of her to answer.
They sat in silence for a long moment or two until Darien finally cracked.
        "Raye...  I know that you heard everything that just happened with Serena and me.  I was
thinking that because you have a deeper insight into everything, you could help me understand
why she thinks what she does.  I mean, all she has done for the past few months is beg me to
come back, and now that I have she wants me to grovel?  I don't get it, Raye!" Darien finished.
        Raye cursed Darien and his unfeeling, unobservant, clueless perceptions in her mind's eye
and looked into his eyes and puffed out a sort of sigh.  She didn't even know where to start with
this boy.  If he didn't start being a better lover for Serena, he would permanently ruin their
relationship and most likely loose her or at least have a volatile marriage.
        "Darien, do you love Serena?" Raye asked.  To help him, she was going to have to know
definitively one way or the other.
        "Of course I do, Raye!  What kind of a question is that?" Darien spat, utterly shocked by the
inquiry.
        "The kind of question Serena has been asking herself since you got your memory back.  The
kind of question nobody in the Sailor Scouts has been able to figure out...  And the kind of
question that you should be asking yourself if you truly don't see what you're doing wrong!" Raye
defended.
        Darien thought for a long moment.  "Is she just playing hard to get?" Darien quietly queried.
Raye could hardly believe her own ears.  She thought for a long moment on how to go about this.
She had to make him realize for himself that the way he treated Serena was wrong.  Just merely
explaining the problem wouldn't help.  It wouldn't hit home or be real to him.  It would always be,
"Just crazy Serena's mind," unless he knew that he was actually a clod.
        "Darien, let me ask you a question.  Why do you think that Serena believes you don't love
her anymore?"
        Darien answered quick.  'Too quickly' Raye knew.
        "Well, I have spent the past few months telling her I don't.  That MIGHT have something to
do with it." Darien growled, to him he was stating the obvious.
        "But shouldn't she have doubted you?  I mean, she believed you when you said you didn't
love her.  Sure, she was bound and determined to get you back and to be with you forever, but
that's what she was doing.  Trying to get you to love her AGAIN.  Not KEEP loving her, but
trying to regain your love.  She would sit around wondering, 'Why doesn't Darien love me
anymore?',  not, 'Why is Darien pretending not to love me?"
        Darien was clearly confused.  "I see what you're saying, but I don't get the point." he
vocalized, rubbing his chin.  Raye groaned.
        "LLLLLLUH...  Darien, if you had been a good lover to her before you dumped her, she
wouldn't have believed it.  At least not right away.  You have treated her badly all along, not just
after your break-up.  The Scout's and I have wondered if you even like her on occasion.  You
never kiss her, hug her, hold her hand, or even walk close to her when you're in public.  And I
have deduced that you aren't very affectionate with her alone either, because she would make
mention of kisses or times you spent together.  Or she would come in one day all giddy from
making out with you.  Further more, if you had ANY type of physical relationship with her, it
would have been harder for you to convince her of your hatred.  Why do you keep her at such a
distance?" Raye lectured.  Darien sat on the couch like stone.
        "I...  I don't know.  I guess it just never occurred to me that she would want to do those
things with me the way I do with her anymore.  I don't know where her mindset is, Raye.  I can't
tell if I'm pushing her to do things with me that doesn't want to do.  Just between you and me,
Serena and I have been intimate before, but that was when we didn't remember anything about the
Moon Kingdom.  I didn't know if I'd live to see the next day or not because I was Tuxedo Mask.
The time I spent with her could have been the last time I saw her.  And I wanted her so badly...  I
know that she'd never tell me to stop if I was going too far for her, so I don't do anything at all.  I
don't want to hurt her."
        Raye scoffed.  "Hurt her, or hurt YOU?  She would never have a problem with a more
physical relationship, and I think you know that as well as everyone else.  She's always reaching
out to you, touching you...  And YOU'RE always the one to pull back.  You are afraid of getting
too close, not for her sake, but your own.  You have grown up your whole life trying to suppress
and hide your emotions. You were afraid to befriend anyone for fear they would one day leave
and hurt you.  The problem is that you have trained yourself TOO well.  You have gone through
life with Andrew as your only close friend.  And now that you have someone who loves you, you
don't know how to tell her how you feel.  You still hold back...  Suppressing emotion as well as
desire.  She needs YOU Darien...ALL of you!  Not just this cold outer shell.  She needs the warm
love of the Darien she had on the Moon.  She deserves someone who will love her to the fullest
extent of his abilities, not someone who treats her like a half interested hobby.  She is a real
person Darien, with real feelings.  Those feelings have been ripped, slashed, mangled, beaten,
bruised... you name it!  A girl as sweet as Serena deserves to be loved.  Not just told it on special
occasions but shown it constantly.  You of all people should know how insecure she is...  She
needs the true loving support of the person she loves, not his luke warm shoulder."
        Darien felt tears sting his eyes.  He didn't know what to say or do.  The reality of what he'd
done to Serena set in for the first time.  He had damaged her, perhaps beyond any hope of repair.
Serena had needed him, his love, during these past months especially.  He had turned her away,
practically making her a orphan herself.  He had never heard Serena talked about as if she were
fragile.  Serena had always been the seat of jokes and mockery with him.  Now he realized how
painful it must be for her to have such low self esteem and then to be unceasingly criticized by the
man who supposedly loved her.  Serena had been burned so badly by him that he could waste no
time in finding a way to prove his love.
        "So what should I do, Raye?" Darien choked out.  "How do I make things right?  I have
treated her so badly.  I have never opened up before, to anyone."
        Raye shook her head.  "But she tells you everything, withholding not a detail.  You should
cherish that, Darien.  She trusts you.  Don't you think that she sees you rolling her eyes or hears
your sighs of boredom just like the rest of us?  It hurts her so much!  I see her face when you do
that.  She quiets and stops immediately.  You see, Darien, Serena walks around in fear of you."
        "In fear of me?"
        "Yes.  She is so afraid of messing up or saying the wrong thing or of being too naive that
she's not herself around you.  It's heartbreaking.  And you need to stop!  Nobody can give
themselves to someone forever without getting that person in return.  No more games, Darien.
No more toying with her feelings.  If you break her heart again, the Scouts, the guardians, and
~Serena~ will never be able to forgive you.  As for making things right, that's for you to decide.  I
can't tell you what to do.  You need to do something to convince her that you are truly in love
with her, and not just out of guilt.  I wish you luck. You're gonna need it!" Raye finished.  She got
up and showed Darien the door.
        On his way out Raye called after him, "She trusts you, Darien!  Return the favor!  There is
no such thing as love without trust!  So, do you love her?"  Raye shut the door.  She turned back
to the fire and bowed before exiting to her personal quarters.  She called the Scouts on the way
over to her place, knowing Serena was there.

        Serena was pacing the room in a towel waiting for Raye.  She knew Raye would come alone
first, and she wanted to borrow some clothes.  Raye came in just as Serena was contemplating
getting back in the shower to keep warm.
        "Oh.  Hi Raye.  Could I borrow an outfit or something?  I don't mean to be trouble.  And I'll
wash them before returning them.  Is it all right?"
        Raye smiled sweetly at Serena.  After just having thought about Serena's emotional pain, she
was extra tolerant and sympathetic.  She nodded.  "Help yourself to anything you want, Serena."
        Serena gave a slight smile back, as if forced through pain and murmured, "Thanks Raye."
She changed into a Baggy red sweater and some black stretch pants.  She returned to Raye and
Raye smiled at her.  "Good to have you back Serena." Raye mused.
        "I'm happy to see you too, Raye.  Thanks for everything."
        Their moment was cut short by Amy, Mina, Lita, Luna, and Artemis bombarding the door.
"We're here!" Mina chirped happily.
        The girls transformed from graceful, well mannered people to a frenzy of squeals, tears, and
cries of joy.  The cats looked on and pondered.  "Is this really the same group of girls who
defeated uncountable monsters, Queen Beryl, Rubeus, and healed the Four Sisters?" Artemis
grunted questioningly.  Luna and he both sighed and shook their heads, forming huge teardrops
on the sides of their heads.  Lita heard their comment and heaved a pillow at them, sending the
cats shrieking away from their positions on the floor.
        The girls piled on Raye's bed and they proceeded to attend to the problem at hand.
        "We believe we might have formulated a plan that would let you go back to your family,
without raising any questions." Amy informed Serena and Raye.
        "Really?  How?" Serena questioned with some hope.
        "Well, we were thinking that you could get Rini use her Luna ball and erase the memory of
your death just like she added the memories to your parents and Sammy of her ‘First Visit’." Lita
explained.
        "We would be unaffected of course because we know you're Sailor Moon.  Her spells seem
to not work on people who know the truth." Luna added.
        "Well, it's worth a shot." Serena admitted.
        "I'll go get Rini." Mina offered.  "I'll be back!" she called, bouncing out Raye's door before
anyone could agree or protest.  The others sat on the bed and giggled.  Mina was always so full of
life and quick to jump into anything.  She would do anything for anyone, a quality that was one of
her most appealing as a friend.  Mina was always there if you needed someone to count on.  You
couldn't help but love that bouncy blonde beauty who was Sailor Venus.
        "So what was it like while you were dead, Serena?" Lita finally asked the question that had
plagued everyone's mind since they had revived Serena.
        Serena became lost in her thoughts, staring off into space, as images of her friends
recovering, Darien not caring, his beautiful new girlfriend, her own death, flashed before he eyes.
She shook her head returning to her body and fidgeted with her hands.  She looked at he fingers.
"It wasn't painful, I guess.  The droid allowed me to see what was happening out here, for some
of it at least.  I saw my own death.  I saw everyone crowd around me and try to wake me up.  We
went to the hospital where I was officially pronounced dead.  The my family came in followed by
you all.  Everyone was so sad, but I couldn't comfort you.  I told you I wouldn't leave, even if you
didn't know I was there, that I'd be there for you guys.  Then Darien tried to come in but Lita
threw him out." Serena giggled at the memory, now finding it to be hilarious; so Lita-like.
However, she did not notice Lita's confused face.  "Queen Serenity came and tried to make me
cross over, but I refused.
        “Next I saw my own funeral, everyone's confessions and comments.  It was nice to hear
what you thought, but I couldn't bear the circumstances under which I heard them...  All the pain
and sadness in everyone.  Then Darien came in and didn't even shed a tear.  He was more
lecturing me in my coffin than saying goodbye.  Then his new girlfriend Danielle came in and told
him they were late for a movie.  I was going to leave with Mother, but I wanted to stay and make
sure everyone was all right.  I went home with Amy and Luna and I saw everyone recovering.
Raye, Mina, Lita, Rini, my family, Artemis, especially Darien...  Then Serenity made a mistake.
She talked about her funeral.  But...  she never had one."  Serena stopped short, remembering that
she had never given her mother a funeral.  A feeling of guilt and sadness spread over everyone.
        "We should give her one." Serena stated calmly.
        "For sure.  Out of anyone I have ever known, she deserves one the most." Lita added.
        "Yeah.  Let's plan one soon." Raye suggested.
        "But Serena." Amy opened, in her own thoughts, pondering about the events she described
seeing.  "Darien didn't have a girlfriend named Danielle."
        Serena breathed a broken sigh.  "You don't have to cover for him Amy." she choked out.
        "She's not!  I had to wrestle him away from killing himself.  We had him on a suicide watch.
The poor guy, when he found you on the ground, dead, clung to you and wouldn't admit you
were gone.  He just kept screaming your name...   You didn't see any of that?" Lita informed
Serena.  Serena gasped and searched Lita's eyes for a long moment as if trying to decipher if the
words had actually been said by her, or if she only imagined them.
        "He completely blamed himself, Serena." Amy added.
        "Lita didn't help that belief." Raye bluntly stated.  Lita wrinkled her nose at Raye, but it was
all in good humor.
        "Well, it's not like it was unjustified guilt I was placing on him.  A lot of Serena's pain, if not
all of it, was his fault." Lita defended herself.
        "SERENA!!!" Rini cried in delight and tears as she ran over and bounded into Serena's arms.
She buried her sobbing features against Serena's chest and stomach and Serena just held her.
        "I am glad to see you too, Rini.  I missed you."
        "You did?" Rini asked, looking up in astonishment.  "I missed you too, Serena!  It hasn't
been the same.  Everyone's so sad all the time.  I'm glad you're back and can be Sailor Moon
again." Rini stuttered through small wails.
        Serena smiled down at the child and welcomed in Mina.  "Did Mina tell you what we wanted
you to do for us, Rini?" Serena asked.
        Rini nodded emphatically.  "Uh-huh.  I can do it, too.  All I gotta do is tell it to erase
everyone's memory about your death and order Luna P to replace it with other memories.  The
only one's to remember your death will be us and Tuxedo Mask because of our powers.  Guess I
should do that now, right?"
        "Give it a whirl, munchkin." Mina encouraged, setting Rini down in front of the bed.
        Rini ran in circles, bouncing Luna P.  "LUNA.... BALL!  KITTY MAGIC!"  Rini let the ball
bounce high in the air and it spun.  Finally it began to glow, going faster and faster, becoming a
steady ball of white light, allowing little miniature balls of light circle it.  Then, all of a sudden it
sent out a pulse of light that stretched for as far as the Scouts could see.  The ball slowed and
returned to it's normal coloration.  It dropped before Rini and she looked at Serena.
        "It should have worked.  Can we go home now?" Rini asked yawning.  It had gotten late and
Serena was surprisingly feeling tired herself.  She nodded. "I'll see you guys tomorrow.  Bye!"
Everyone said their farewells and slept better than they had in days that night.

        It snowed that night.  Darien knew that school would have been called off for the day.  It
was beautiful outside, but Darien was in no mood to enjoy it.  Amy had called him the night
previous and told him Serena was able to go home and that their plan of wiping everyone's
memories had worked.  Her parents and Sammy thought Serena had just fainted on the sidewalk
from an ulcer they found in her stomach.
        "An ulcer?  How long had it been there?" Darien asked, realizing it was probably due to him.
Not only had he managed to cause her mental anxiety but now he was hurting her physically, too?
        "Weeks.  Well over two months the doctor said.  The poor girl hadn't said anything."  Amy
chattered on a bit and Darien hung up with her after about ten minutes.  He sat down to think.
        He was at a disadvantage.  He did not hold all of the memories of the Moon Kingdom, and
was still unaware that Serena did.  He remained seated until he just decided the best thing for him
to do was to just go and talk to her.  Blame this all on the dreams and memory loss.  Yes.  That
was what he would do.
        Darien felt an actual kick in his side, but when he looked around he saw no one.  He realized
he couldn't scapegoat his way out of this one.  Serena deserved the truth.  She didn't deserve to be
treated the way Darien had treated her.  Darien realized that any other girl would have dumped
HIM a long time ago.  He didn't deserve Serena...  So loving, caring, affectionate.  He vowed to
make things right...  To treat her better from now on.  Now he had to think of how he could
prove what his intentions were.
        Darien dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a white button shirt and a brown leather coat.  It was
cold out so he wrapped a scarf around his neck and headed towards Serena's house.  He needed
to see her, to talk to her.  Maybe she would understand?
        Darien trudged through the snow on the sidewalks.  His nose was red and his ears felt as if
they were about to fall off.  When he finally reached her house, he stopped and looked.  Rini was
outside building a snowman by herself.  Darien smiled slightly.  Rini always made him feel better.
With her childish antics and her bright smiles meant only for him, she just seemed to bring a light
into his life.  He watched quietly, unnoticed by the little girl as she packed some snow onto the
snowman's second part.
        Darien took a step forward crunching the snow, causing Rini to be alerted of his presence.
Darien awaited her usual greeting; running at him full force and jumping into his open arms.  But
Rini's face lost it's joy.  She scowled and just stood there for a moment in uncharacteristic silence.
        "What are YOU doing here, Darien?" she demanded accusingly.  Darien was caught
completely off guard and decided to act like he had not heard the maliciousness in her voice.
        "Hi there, Rini.  I want to talk to Serena.  Can I come inside?"  Rini maintained her scowl
and merely turned and went inside without saying a word.  He heard the child call to someone and
he stepped closer to the door, stepping up on the porch.  He heard louder footsteps approaching
the door and it opened suddenly, a very angry Sammy on the other side.
        "Go away Darien.  You’re not welcome here." he ordered plainly.  Darien looked down at
the boy a moment, in almost extreme shock.  He had never considered that Sammy would be
angry with him.  He always seemed to tease and torment his sister.  They didn't appear close at all.
Why would he be angered by Serena's pain?  And further more, how did he know her pain was
related to Darien?  Serena would never have told Sammy her problems.
        But now it seemed as if Darien was going to have to prove his intentions to Sammy as well
as Serena.  Darien shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed loudly.  "Sammy, I really need to
talk to her." Darien tried again.
        Sammy's features deepened with anger.  He shook his head.  "All you ever do is hurt her,
Darien.  She needs someone who will love her.  Not just break promises and mistreat her.  She
hasn't stopped crying for months.  I hear her call you and cry for you all night.  You don't feel the
same way for her as she does for you.  And I am NOT going to let you hurt her again!"
        Sammy went to close the door, but Darien caught it with his hand.  Sammy growled but
Darien pleaded with him.  "Sammy, please.  I beg you.  I HAVE GOT to talk to her.  Please.  I
need to make things right.  I never meant to hurt her..."
        "But you did.  Nothing you can say will ever change that!  Prince or not, you have no right
to treat Serena the way you do."  Sammy's gasped as he realized he had slipped what he knew.
Darien's eyes popped out of his head and he pushed his way into the house, shutting the door
behind him, his back pressed against the closed door.  Darien smelled fresh cooked brownies as he
stood there.  He heard a shower running and the TV on in another room.
        "How did you know about that?  How much do you know?  Sammy, what do you know!?"
Darien hissed demandingly.  Sammy shrank back.  "Nothing...  I- I don't know what you're talking
about...  I..." Sammy was panicked now.  Darien kneeled down and took Sammy's shoulders.
        "Does Serena know that you know about our past?" Darien asked in earnest.  Sammy looked
away but nodded his head slightly in an answer of yes.  Darien took his hands off of Sammy.  He
motioned for them to enter the living room.  Sammy obliged Darien and sat down in a chair at one
end of the coffee table.  Darien sat at the end of the couch nearest Sammy.  Sammy continued to
avert Darien's prying eyes, but Darien proceeded.  He was appalled that Serena would have
permitted Sammy to find out about their past.  Now he wanted to know exactly how Sammy
knew, what he knew, and who he had told.
        "How much do you know Sammy?" Darien asked calmly, not intending to alert the boy to
his anger and vulnerability.  Sammy fidgeted with his hands. "Everything." he admitted.  Darien
threw his hands in the air and groaned.  "How could Serena be so irresponsible!?" He growled to
himself, forgetting Sammy was even in the room.
        Sammy had a surge of protectiveness race through his veins.  He turned his head sharply to
Darien and narrowed his eyes.  Here the guy was begging to speak with Serena when all he could
do was insult her?!  Darien could forget seeing his sister now.  He didn't have much of a chance
before, but with that said...Sammy rushed to Serena's defense.
        "How DARE you!  She wouldn't have had to tell me anything if she had someone who was
willing to listen to her!  Rini was giving her so much grief and you encouraged it!  Mom and Dad
wouldn't listen to her when she told them her side hurt.  Her friends all thought her pain wasn't
that serious, and YOU!!  You, who were supposed to love her forever, like you promised,
abandoned her the first chance you met someone more powerful!  And now you're sitting here in
my living room...  HER living room, criticizing her for needing to confide in someone who
wouldn't lecture her on being immature or selfish!!!  If you really loved her, you'd feel bad for her,
and not tear her apart the way you do.  She may be a little scattered sometimes, but she'll grow
out of it!  And YOU'RE supposed to love her unconditionally!  But I guess, in a way I should
thank you.  Because now, when I get a girlfriend I'll know first hand what NOT to do to someone
you love!"
        Darien was astonished.  Sammy had risen to his feet and was now staring Darien right in the
face.  He seemed completely un-intimidated by Darien and was talking to him as if he was talking
to a child who had done something wrong.  Darien started to speak but the upstairs bathroom
opened.  Sometime, during Sammy's lecture the water had stopped.
        "Sammy, have you seen my bathrobe?  I was sure it was sitting by the..." Serena had traveled
all but three steps of the staircase before she looked up and saw both Sammy and Darien in the
living room.  She was wrapped in a short pink towel and had let her hair down for washing.  She
shivered both inside and out when she saw Darien sitting there.  She stood there silent, unable to
move, rather embarrassed to be seen like this.
        "I put it on your bed Serena.  Rini spilled some water on it and I put it in the dryer while you
were in the shower."  Sammy told her.  He turned to Darien's face and then back to Serena's.
        Darien's eyes were transfixed on Serena.  He drank in the sight of her small figure barely
covered by the towel.  He wanted to run to her and wrap her in his arms right then and there, but
he knew he didn't dare.  "Don't worry Serena.  He was just leaving." Sammy stated.
        Serena's eyes pleaded with Darien.  "What do you want from me?" Serena asked shakily.
Darien felt his heart crack as he heard her words and how wrong they were.
        "Nothing Serena.  I want to do something for you."  He rose from his place on the couch
and walked towards her until he was at the bottom of the stairs.  Serena moved back as she
watched his movements draw him nearer and she moved up to the fifth step.
        "I- I'll talk to you in a minute." she stumbled out as she turned quickly and retreated up the
stairs.  She did not want to talk to him right now.  She had spent the night in her room, glad to be
back, but sobbing because she knew Darien did not understand her at all.  Who she was, her
feelings, her memories, all totally unfamiliar to Darien.  She had cried herself to sleep as it seemed
to be her normal routine and Sammy had come in to comfort her.  Serena did not explain the
exact events that had transpired, only that Darien didn't appreciate her or what she'd been
through.  Sammy did not remember Serena's death, but instead told her that he hoped her side
was feeling better and that she should stop stressing before the ulcer worsened.
        Serena threw on a dark pink robe.  It was sleeveless, almost a tube top on the torso part and
had a waist tie that she pulled in tight.  She gently combed through her tangled mess of hair but
did not bother putting it up.  She stood in front of the mirror for a moment before sitting on the
bed and pulling a stuffed bunny in her lap.  She sat there for a minute pondering upon what Darien
could possibly have come up with.  This unannounced entry into her home was not quite what she
had in mind.  Serena wanted flowers, diamonds, love notes...  And Darien.  She wanted him to
SHOW his love, not to merely say it and then go back to the way he always was.  Serena would
love Darien unconditionally always, but did he have to abuse that fact?
        There was another ruckus down stairs and Serena sighed.  She sensed the familiar feeling of
tears running down her cheeks.  She laid on her bed and tucked the bunny against her stomach
and rested her face against it and the pillow.  When she heard yelling, she placed the bunny down
on the floor by the bed.  Serena crushed her face against the pillow and let loose her sobs of
confusion as she had the night before.  Maybe Sammy would succeed in getting rid of Darien for
now.  Serena just didn't see how Darien could have realized so fast all of the mistakes he had
made.
        Sammy stood in the stairway.  "She's a person Darien.  Not your personal play toy that you
pick up when you want it.  She needs you all the time or not at all.  I hope you understand that."
Sammy spelled out.  Darien nodded knowingly, trying to ignore her little brother and just appease
him so that he would get out of the way.  He tried to push past Sammy but Sammy didn't move.
Darien looked at him now angering.
        "Sammy, I need to talk with her.  Please.  Move."
        Sammy stayed put.  Darien never realized until today just how protective this young boy
could get.  An understanding crept through Darien, as he too felt the need to protect Serena.  He
had always felt the need to shelter, protect, and care for Serena.  It was that very feeling that had
made Darien push Serena away.  Darien could hear Serena crying and wanted to get to her more
than ever and hold her, comfort her.
        Sammy looked up at his sister's room.  While he did, Darien seized the opportunity and
pushed past Sammy and scaled the stairs quickly as he could.  Sammy didn't dare grab Darien as
he was bigger and Sammy knew that Darien was in a position that he could push him down the
stairs.  Hey, if he made teenage girl's lives no longer worth living, who knows what he'd do next!
        Darien looked down the hall and found the room where Serena's soft cries emanated from.
He knocked on the door and the cries softened.  He knocked again but as his hand was wrapping
the doorknob it opened.  He stopped to look down at Serena who had stepped back into her
room.  She had her back to Darien, hair pulled off to her right shoulder.  Darien watched her
shoulders and body shaking, her bare back exposed.  Darien went with his first instincts.  He often
suppressed his initial urges, but he needed to show Serena what he wanted to do, and not just tell
her.
        He came up behind her and gently placed his arms around her waist.  She shocked him by
jerking out of the grasp, not allowing him to hold her for more than a second or two.  She turned
to him and gave him a glance that said everything she needed to.  Darien realized instantly that she
could not allow him to be close
to her until he proved himself.  She couldn't bear being forsaken anymore or ever again.  Darien
let out a choked sigh and motioned for Serena to sit on the bed.  "Please." he invited
simultaneously.  She sat cautiously on the bed and he pulled the chair from her nearby desk in
front of her and seated himself.  She grabbed her bunny again and hugged it tightly.  'Only she
could grab a stuffed bunny for comfort and come across as something other than a child.' Darien
thought to himself, half smiling.  Serena put her head down as to hide her face from Darien behind
her falling hair and bangs.  Darien wanted to reach out and force her eyes to meet his, but thought
better of it.  He didn't know where to begin.
        "Serena..." he stopped, pondering where to go with this.  How to start, what to say, how to
say it.  Their very relationship dangled upon his next choice of words.  He looked at Serena, who
did not look back and began his confession.  "Serena, I have nowhere to start but the beginning.
My problems started before I even knew you were alive.  After the car crash, I was placed in an
orphanage.  I was scared, sad, and confused.  I didn't even know if my real name was Darien.  All
I felt for the first three years of my life, the part of my life that I can remember, was sadness,
heartache, and agony.  I was emotionally a wreck and all I did was cry into my pillow.  But then,
the people there wouldn't have it anymore and they enrolled me in school.  They forced me out of
bed in the morning and made me study in the afternoons.  But the funny thing was, after a few
weeks, I began to take refuge in the books, in facts.  I was no longer concerned with emotion and
anything intangible.  I found relief in not having to sit and ponder about my past, immersing in fact
rather than fantasy.  I no longer had imagination.
        I became desperate to be alone, not to interact with people, for fear of being hurt again and
faced with the task of having to consider my emotions again.  I didn't want to be hurt and it
became my goal in life to avoid human interaction.  All I wanted to do was to be left alone with
my books and facts.  I succeeded.  But with no friends, I found myself with a lot of free time.
Sometimes I would start to wonder about my past and the pain would come back.  So I'd pick up
a book and study until the urge left me.  I couldn't allow myself to think of my childhood.
        I did a good job of keeping people at not one but two arm's lengths.  I mean, I can count the
number of people I have exchanged friendly words with on one hand.  This was partly due to my
wanting to keep people at bay and partly because the minute I'd open my mouth, people wanted
nothing to do with me.  I could do advanced math equations, and yet the concept of having a
simple, friendly conversation alluded me.  Just ask Andrew!  He's the only one who stuck with me
long enough to get me to the point where I'd acknowledge his presence.  I have never really had a
very deep conversation with Andrew.  I mean, he knows a lot about me because of little things I'd
say and he put them together.  He'd talk about his problems, but I never was able to return the
favor.
        So you see, Serena.  It's not that I don't love you.  In I fact love you more than life itself.
You've changed me in ways that I can't describe.  But I just don’t know how to show you...  How
to tell you.  I listen to every word you say and drink it up, remembering everything that you like
and all the things you despise.  And I am so sorry for hurting you!  But I just don't know what to
say.  I can't express it.  It's not that I don't want to.  I would love to be the most romantic guy you
ever met, but I'm not.  I don't know how to be.  It's not something that I can read up on.  It's a
matter of the heart and I don't know what to do with those.  They're a mystery to me.  It's like
having a letter and not being able to crack the code it's written in.  I'm sorry I can't tell you more."
        Serena had stopped crying but still had her face hidden.  Slowly she looked up at Darien and
sniffed.  "But that's what hurts.  That's what hurts me, Darien.  I never know how you feel.  My
telepathic powers aren't what they used to be, being out of practice and all.  Sometimes I wonder
if you even tolerate me, much less love me!  I NEED you to show me love.  To tell me what
you're thinking.  To tell me what you think about me, other than the insults you come up with.  I
need you to be a boyfriend, not a mystery.  I feel like you don't trust me enough to talk to me and
that... breaks my heart." she whispered and squeaked the last words before crying into her bunny.
        Darien moved from his place on the chair and sat beside her on the bed.  He picked up the
sobbing girl and placed her side against his chest.  This time she did not jerk away.  She rested her
face against his chest and cried as he wrapped his arms around her shaking body.  He shushed her
and stroked her now partially dry hair.  He rested his chin on her head and rocked her slightly,
trying to banish her tears.  Soon she quieted and rested peacefully.
        "Serena, I do trust you.  I trust you more than I trust myself, even.  It's not that I don't want
to tell you how I feel, it's just that I can't articulate what I'm feeling.  It always ends up coming
out wrong or not coming out at all.  And when I do say things, I feel embarrassed because I don't
feel like the words even come close to letting me express how much I really love you.  I'm not
good at planning romantic dinners or anything, so I just give up."
        "You don't have to speak to me to tell me you love me, Darien.  It's the things you do that
are more important.  I don't care if you were mute.  As long as you aren't ashamed of me and hold
me every now and then, I'd be fine."
        "Ashamed of you?!  Oh Serena..." Darien's voice trailed off.  Droplets clung to the sides of
his eyes. He brought her in tight, her face against his chest and his own nuzzling her hair.  "I have
messed up.  If you think I am ashamed of you...  Serena I love you so much!  I would like nothing
more than to post billboards up all around the world, telling people that you love me and I love
you.  But, then people would wonder what my motivation for being with you was.  Am I really an
eighteen year old in love with a fourteen year old, or do I get a thrill from raping children?  If I
felt like I could, I'd be making love to you right now, but I don't want to force you into anything.
We did it before because I told you I might die, and that the next day I could be gone forever.  I
thought that I had pushed you and forced you into doing that with me, and I've beaten myself over
the head for it time and time again.  The truth be known, I don't touch you a lot in public because
I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself from going too far."
        "I thought you just weren't attracted to me like that anymore." Serena mused against
Darien's chest.
        "Oh no, Serena.  How could I not be attracted to you?  Sometimes it's more than I can
bear!"  Serena's soul began to smile, breaking through it's vulnerable and badly beaten shell.  She
had no idea that Darien still harbored the affection he had bestowed upon her before.  It came as a
relief to Serena's ears and aching heart that he still loved her as the person she was and not only
the person she used to be.  Serena still carried the pain and feelings of injustice that she had been
smart, beautiful, powerful, graceful and talented on the Moon but here, on Earth, she was
regarded as a dumb blonde with no grace and no future.  Serena sank at these thoughts.  If only
Beryl hadn't attacked the Moon Kingdom.  If only she had stayed on Trysidia.  If only they had
fought off the attacks on the Moon.  If only...  If only... If only...
        Darien sensed these emotions within Serena and sighed dishearteningly.  How could he tell
Serena what a good person she was?  She IS?  Through Serena's eyes she was a clumsy misfit;
through Darien's, an angel.  She was outgoing, caring, sensitive, loving, gorgeous, truthful...  But
nobody ever remarked on these qualities.  Including himself.  Instead he had teased her about her
low marks and clumsiness.  He had called her names and made fun of her laugh; a laugh he
actually found adorable but everyone else thought sounded like a hyena.  He had only meant to
joke with this beautiful girl, but instead had helped bring her into a state of depression.  That a girl
this sweet would cry over anything was an outrage.  She should never cry.  She didn't deserve it.
And to know that he had brought the most pain to her out of anyone else on this planet, he knew
he'd never forgive himself.  He would devote his life to making it up to her; this angel.  HIS angel.
She really had saved him from a life of sadness and grief.  He owed her everything and now, even
more than that.
        "But Darien, you don't have to say these things to me if they're not true.  I'm not the Princess
I used to be and I know that I am not your idea of the perfect woman.  So don't feel inclined and
like you HAVE to do this.  I want you to love me for me and what I used to be.  ALL of me!  Not
as just the Princess or just Serena or Sailor Moon.  All of me..."
        "And I do Serena!  I was just thinking that I do love you for who you are now.  Serena, I
have done wrong by teasing you.  I should be telling you what I love about you.  Do you know
how much you have affected me?  Not only in the past, but in the present.  I can remember only
snippets of the girl you were on the Moon.  But I know all of you here, on Earth.  And I love
everything about you.  I love your smile and your laugh, I love your eyes and your 'meatballs'.  I
am envious of the way you can easily talk to people.  I love you because you have an un-nameable
something that lets you make people feel better.  Anyone who's down in the dumps can't be as
miserable if you're around.  You have brought a light to my life Serena.  Without you, I don't
know where I'd be..."
        Serena had never heard Darien talk this way before in her life.  This outpouring of his mind,
his thoughts.  She liked this side of Darien and wished she saw it more often.  It's the man she
always knew was in there, but had never been able to bring out into the open.  Still hurt, and still
not too sure of whether or not this would last, she looked into his eyes.
        Midnight blue stared back into baby blue as they held each other, gazing into the windows of
each other's souls.  The coldness that had been there in Darien's eyes was gone.  Serena reached
out and touched his cheek, curving her open hand against his face.  Darien closed his eyes and
leaned slightly into her hand, eventually maneuvering so that his lips grazed the skin of her wrist.
        His lips began to re-ignite a long burned out fire within Serena.  She let out a small coo of
ecstasy that was music to Darien's ears.  With that, he removed her hand from his face and
carefully placed it around his neck.  He slid his hands down the extent of her arms and came
around to her back and gently eased her down onto her back.
        He settled on top of her halfway, one of his legs thrust between hers and his arm across her
chest and back underneath her.  He kissed her lips and she responded to his advances even more
so than he expected.  They brushed their lips back and forth over and over, and then finally
sinking into the kiss.  Darien groaned as the excitement of what was happening took over.  He
eased her lips apart and caressed her tongue against his own, reveling in the taste of her mouth.
So sweet, like candy and so familiar as if having your favorite dessert for the first time in years.

2 hours later...

        I rolled over to be on top against Darien's chest.  I laid my head against him and listened to
his steady heartbeat.  I felt his fingers running mindlessly through my hair and I smiled at the
thought of waking next to Darien like this everyday.  Then the pain came rushing back in a pang,
but not nearly as severe at it had been before.  'What if we never get married because he changes
his mind again.' I thought scared.  It would take a while for me to heal completely I realized.  One
time of making love wouldn't change what had happened and make the pain disappear.  But it was
a good start.  If he keeps on acting like he had today, I think we're gonna make it.
 
 

The End

So, did it suck? Was it good? Let me know! Emilywaldon69@hotmail.com.
I am very interested to see what you all thought about this particular story.  I
might have gone a bit overboard in the other direction, but I can't tell.  Well, at
any rate, I hope you liked it!  Until next time...
 

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