(A/N:
THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN CHANGED. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE NEW VERSION, PLEASE READ NOW.
The o.O is where you should start if you read the previous version. That is where the major changes start.
Don't forget to review! Please respond to anything that sounded weird, you'd like a fuller or shorted description, think I need to cover more or just something that annoys you that you think I should change. Don't worry! It won't hurt my feelings! Just put anything that can help me make a better story for you entertainment!
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or anything to do with Sailor Moon. All rights go to their original creator.
With All My Heart and Soul
Chapter 1: Where Shall We Start?
Thunder roared through the Tokyo streets, a concerto of deep booms and high-pitched patter as rain poured on a late Friday afternoon. A stray cat knocked over a metal can while trying to seek refuge among the rotten fruits in an alley. It created a bang that mocked the storm and scattered its contents across the empty pathway. Adjacent to the alley was a sidewalk and a flooded road filled with cautious drivers getting aggravated at the slow speed of the car ahead of them. About an half an hour ago we would be seeing around a 95° F sunny afternoon. But since Nature refuses to follow a pattern of "winter equals chilly" and "summer equals hot", we are left to assume that Nature is getting pissy and all else will follow.
The wind caught the long golden locks of a girl running fretfully across the pavement. Her senshi school uniform was dripping and her shoes and socks were soaked from stepping in puddles that seemed to stalk her no matter where she went, following her as if she were on a hill. Which she probably was. But in no way did she have time to gaze thoughtfully at the cars on the street, the cat in the alley, or the water nipping at her feet for she had more important things right now.
She had to get to Raye's temple as fast as she could.
"Please hurry, Serena," Amy's voice repeated through her head, slightly fuzzy because of the communicator's translation. "We have something we need to discuss."
"I'm hurrying, Amy-chan. I'll be there soon."
Her breath heaved with her chest and her feet ran faster but she didn't seem to be making any progress. As if to torment her further, the rain increase its down pour until it was two drops away from being considered a free human sprinkler.
"The stupid thing started not five minutes after I left!" Serena complained. "Couldn't it have started earlier so I could have taken a bus or something? I hate rain! I hate rain! I hate rain!" The last part was her deciding fate and all the precipitation on the ground rallied for the counterattack. Her feet took a shaky step in a particularly deep puddle and, freezing as soon as she realized her mistake her whole body tilted until she fell splat on the concrete.
"Waaaaah! Why can't Raye's house just come to me, huh?" Her elbows and knees were scraped up and she sported an interesting bruise across the forehead. A combination of tears and rain fell down her face as she cried of pain, frustration, and her natural Serena ways.
"Well. Houses can't walk, to answer your question. Plus you should have called me if you needed a ride, you know."
She turned to see Amara staring at her from the inside of her sports car, completely stopped in the middle of the road. Michelle was right beside her in the passenger seat, leaning over so she could see Serena without being block by her lover's body. In two seconds Amara was already out and holding open the door to let Serena in the back seat. "Hurry up now before I change my mind."
Serena blinked. Then she hurriedly got up and crammed herself in the back.
"We're on our way to Raye's too," spoke Michelle. "Ami told us to pick you up if we saw you. She said that you most likely would be walking and it's not healthy to be out in weather like this-"
Serena sneezed. "I noticed."
The trip to Raye's was awkward. The inside smelled only what could be described as dentist gloves. The leather seats were soaked from the rain dripping off of Serena's clothes. Serena didn't seem to notice this but Amara sure did, but every time she turned to gripe it she would take one look at the girl in the back seat and change her mind. Serena looked so miserable.
Amara glanced at the girl beside her and found Michelle gazing right back at her. Her face held a knowing smile, as if she knew how frustrated Amara was about the seats. This was her baby, and for a second there seemed to be a telepathic communication between the two, only as long as their eyes met.
'There's something else that's bothering our Princess, isn't there Michelle
'Yeah. She seems really out of it.'
Amara swerved. For the few seconds that she wasn't looking an idiot driver completely disregarded a stoplight as a general warning and nearly rammed the car. She stopped the car and yelled a sting of profanities out the window before rolling it up and driving off.
Serena sat motionless in the back. So many things were swarming through her head right now. All the fears and worries in her seemed to be amplified by the monotonous pit-pattering of the rain and the silence that no one seemed to want to break. Her heart felt like it was being compressed into a small tiny space in the back of her throat, and she put a hand across her brow to hold back a sob.
'I can't do it anymore. I just can't.'
The tears started to fall. All the voices in the world were mute right now, if not to her ears but to her mind. The tiny drops fell in sequence to the weather: not at all, little droplets, then a waterfall rolling of the cliff of her nose. These were not the tears of a cry baby, but the tears of a troubled adult.
"Serena?" Amara and Michelle looked back. No answer. She was deaf to anything that would try to stop her, and was bound and determined to let out her emotions.
They looked at each other. 'Maybe we should just let her be.'
Both nodded and not another word was spoken until they got to Raye's.
The rain and Serena had slowed down to a drizzle as had when they arrived and Amara was the first out. "Do you need anything, Hun?" was the most comforting thing she could think of to say. She never has been very good at things like these.
Serena wiped her eyes. "A tissue please?" Michelle pulled one out of the bottom of her purse and handed it over. "Anything else?"
Serena seemed to hesitate for a second. "Don't tell Darien."
"Okay." It was the least they could do.
They arrived to find the others waiting for them in the dining room. The room served as both a dining room and a second living room. The walls were a solid maroon color with dark wood borders and red plush couched and chairs that sat in front of a T.V that took up part of the off-white carpet which the further left you went it turned into a cherry-wood floor with a table and chairs in the middle. In the left-hand wall was an opening with sliding doors. Next to it was a swinging door that led into the kitchen. Hataru, Mina, Setsuna and Amy sat at the table eating some sort of dish that Lita concocted. The smell hung in the air and Serena got a good whiff of what it was.
"I don't care what that is, but I want some!" Serena's mood lightened, she catapulted herself in the direction of the food only to be tackled by Raye after two steps.
"Go change before you flood the house!" Raye handed her a fresh set of clothes and shoved her in the bathroom.
"Gee! You didn't have to be so rough about it Raye!" Serena shouted though she knew Raye probably had already left, then proceeded to change. She had given her a pair of light blue cut-off jeans that looked worn but in reality was a very perdurable raiment. With it had came a plain pink spaghetti strap top which was skintight but was designed long so it came down the waist. To her horror the outfit came with a black lacy bra and a matching thong.
"Raye!"
Serena heard a distant snickering, like the person was far away but slowly coming closer.
"Yes?" Raye was a natural at creating a ersatz innocence for her self-appreciated pride of knowing exactly how to get under Serena's skin. She knew perfectly well that Serena hated the whole idea of thongs: they were a menace, gave you a wedgie (which didn't fly well with her), and were something you wear only when you want someone to see you in it.
"What exactly did you give me?"
"Don't be stupid Serena! It's underwear! It's either that or your wet ones!"
"But why these ones?"
"They're the only clean ones I had left." Serena knew this was most likely a lie, but she didn't press it because there was no way to get Raye to lend her another pair. So Serena let of a groan and put the retched thing followed by the bra and the shorts and shirt.
"Now where's that food?' Serena popped out of the bathroom. Raye stood across the hall smirking.
"Comfy?" she asked with a gleam that seemed to say 'Ha! Gotcha this time!'
"No. Show me the food." she tried to say this as apathetic as possible, but the massive string riding up her butt forced her to pull it out and make the role she tried to play unconvincing.
Raye laughed. "Rice is on the table. Have fun!"
Quickly she grabbed Serena's wet clothes. "I'll just throw these in to wash."
She turned her back and left, leaving Serena still grumbling. Why did Raye have to pick on her? Wasn't she already having a crappy day?
The rice was halfway gone when she got to the dining room. Apparently the others had decided to get their share before Serena swooped down and gobbled it all up. They were thinking smart, because Serena took the whole bowl and dumped it on her plate. Sitting down next to Mina at the table, she put good use to her chopstick and devoured it in record time. It was not normal rice. It had a sort of lime-like sweet flavor that could only have been concocted by Lita. Sure enough, the door leading to the kitchen opened and Lita came out carrying a huge chocolate cake.
"There you are, Serena! I made this specially for you. I know how you prize your sweet tooth," Lita sat the cake down and started to slice it into pieces. Obviously she was in the kitchen the whole time and didn't see her come in. "Now the only person we're waiting for is-"
As if on cue the front door slammed open and a dripping Darien dragged himself into the room. He looked utterly exhausted. In his hand was a plastic bag.
"Thought my bike was a good idea. It wasn't raining when I left," he told them and left to the bathroom to change. When he came back he didn't head for the food like Serena did but headed to the living room where the couch was to sleep. It was not surprise because he had just gotten out of school and rain was famous for making you sleepy. Unfortunately he was intercepted by an ecstatic Serena.
"Darien! I'm so glad your here! I-" Soft lips met hers and refused her to continue. Serena heard something about "shushing" and "headache". She didn't want to continue anyway. His strong arms wrapped around her waist and squeezed her body against his. She responded likewise and met his fury of kisses like it was instinct. They sunk deeper and were drowned in a tide that involved nothing but each other. The touch, the feel, the love: the only things they knew and could comprehend. His tongue traced the outline of her lips and plunged into her mouth. Life was perfect.
"Ahem."
Serena couldn't tell where it came from, but suddenly she came crashing down from the beautiful world she was in a was in reality. Everyone was staring and there was suddenly an uncomfortable atmosphere about the room. Darien and Serena pulled apart and blushed at being caught making out in front of everyone.
o.O
It didn't last long though because good old Amy stepped in. "We should probably start." she uttered.
Everyone followed her lead and sat down at the table, looking for anything to make the situation more comfortable. Serena and Darien sat down together and tried to avoid everyones eyes.
Amy cleared her throat. "There is an evil aura going around in the city. It is something that we cannot pinpoint exactly because every time Artemis finds something on the computer it is gone before we can get there-"
"Oh yeah! Where is Artemis and Luna? I know Luna left this morning, but she didn't tell me where she was going." It was Serena who interrupted.
"They're on look out. But as I was saying- It's gone before we can find its location. Over the past few weeks there have been dozens of people in the hospital from them. Yes Michelle?"
Michelle put down her hand. "What exactly are these enemy's taking? Is it a star seed?"
"You see, we don't exactly know. One second they are fine and then the next second something or someone comes by and they are just not the same. I haven't seen it myself so I can't explain, but Luna has an idea, so maybe you sould ask her what's going on. The news reported it like they were mugged or just jumped, but it's definitely something more than that. Be prepared at any second, because as soon as Artemis has information, we need to move it. We can't let this continue to happen. Don't be worried, though. This will be nothing compared to Chaos."
There was a pause.
"Are we done?" Amara asked. "I have places to be and I-"
A wail came from across the room. Darien turned to Serena and took her into his arms. The tears were back from earlier. The sadness and helplessness that had engulfed her once again took form in her throat and she wrapped her arms around Darien and cried into his shoulder.
"Serena?"
Serena shook her head, refusing to give any answers to anyone. No body, not even Darien, knew why she was crying. The tension in the air grew again and everyone took this as a sign that the meeting was over and packed up. Raye and Mina signed at Darien things that obviously said: you. Talk. Serena. Call. Me. Later.
Darien sighed. He hated this part. "What's wrong?" he whispered in Serena's ear.
"Ah un wun ha he hay ar oon ehey hor." her muffled words came to him. He wretched one arm from around her pushed he back so he could see her.
Deeply, with as much passion and sympathy he could muster, he started into her eyes and let her know that she was loved. "Say it again."
She avoided his gaze. He knew she was trying to come up with the strength.
Finally she just blurted it out. "I don't want to be Sailor Moon anymore."
Everyone heard her, and no one questioned it. There was silence for no one knew what to say. It was as if they were to cross a bridge and to find it incomplete. The one person that they had always trusted and appreciated was not going to help them. No one could think of anything to say to stop her, but the bond that they all had in common was going leave them to themselves so they had to say something. One thought was common through there heads: Not now. Not while she's this upset.
If she could of, Serena would of left right away if it wasn't for the fact she was still in Raye's clothes and was was waiting for her own to finish washing. Darien stayed with her until they were done, letting her sit in his lap and cling to him as she cried into his shoulder. Every once and a while he would whisper little comforts to try to make things better. Once he tried to find out why she didn't want to be Sailor Moon, but Serena cried harder so he didn't bring it up again. Finally, her clothes were done, she quickly changed and Darien offered to take her home.
(A/N: There you go. Like 6 pages in four days, but expect another chapter in about 1-2 weeks! It gets a lot happier and fluffier, I promise!!
Don't forget to review! Please respond to anything that sounded weird, you'd like a fuller or shorted description, think I need to cover more or just something that annoys you that you think I should change. Don't worry! It won't hurt my feelings! Just put anything that can help me make a better story for you entertainment!)