"Serena, come back!" Raye screamed as her jet-black hair whipped behind her in the tense winds from the North. She started running, but was stopped by Lita.
"Leave her. She needs some time to think."
Raye looked into Lita's understanding eyes, unable to see anything but hope and goodwill. "I don't know Lita... this is something that I'm not sure she can handle alone."
Amy interrupted, "Listen girls, she has her communicator with her... all we have to do is track her. We don't have to follow her, but we'll know where she is. Lita's right though, give her some time."
Mina stood away from the group of girls, looking in the direction Serena had fled. She shook her head and a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Serena...I-I don't want to have to tell you this..." Raye's hand shook as she set it down on her friends shoulder.
They were at Raye's Temple, under the bright moon and stars talking about new strategies against the evil that plagued their Earth. Every meeting ended up in a fight, or a very awkward situation. This didn't fall into any category except heartache.
Serena looked up at Raye, then peered at each one of her friends. Amy, the smart one with the knowledge to accomplish anything. Lita, the tough and aggressive one with a great taste for cuisine. Mina, the one in-tune with emotions and knowledge of truth. Then there was Raye, the stubborn and protective one.
Serena knew something was wrong. The meeting hadn't gone as planned. Yes, she knew she had been an hour late, but it had been because of awful traffic. It had been a horrid run through the streets. Car horns beeping, sirens going off, people yelling and throwing obscene gestures... it wasn't always like that through town, something was wrong. Serena didn't feel right at all. All throughout her run to the temple, she felt as though her heart had slid down into her stomach and was burning. She had felt tears in her eyes, but didn't know why they were there. She blamed it on the wind from the North. The girls hadn't even started the meeting; everyone was just sitting there under the moonlight being mute.
"Raye," Serena said cautiously, "What's wrong? Don't even start with my bad hair day. Yes, even two meatballs can look bad...and I haven't been feeling well. It started today, right when I was running over here... maybe it was because I haven't ate?"
She was interrupted by Raye again, only this time her voice was rigid and fearful, "Serena... something has gone terribly wrong... we-we can't fix this..." Raye couldn't say anything else and took her hand off of Serena's shoulder and took a few steps and turned her back to the group.
Mina took her place and sat beside Serena, "Please Serena... I'm sorry." She hugged her best-friend and then whispered in her ear, "Darien was in a motorcycle accident...it-it was an accident... he died Serena. Darien died an hour ago."
By this time, all four girls were crying except Serena. "I don't believe you Mina! Of all the jokes you all decide to pull on me, you do the most horrid one you could possibly think of!" Serena was spouting off words incoherently. She was so enraged that she took a moment, stopped and sighed. Serena breathed in and opened her blue eyes fully.
"I-t's a joke, right? You guys, I have figured it out, it's a joke. Darien is right outside the Temple! Some joking around. DARIEN! Come on in..."
Lita shook her head and let out a small sob, "Serena, we wouldn't joke about this. This is serious, why can't you believe us?!"
Serena grabbed the bottom of one of her pigtails and started twirling it around in her fingers. Tears started filling the bottom of her eyelids.
Amy spoke softly, the moonlight glistened off of her tear-streaked face, "It was on the news just before you arrived.. and by the way you were acting when you arrived, it looked like you hadn't gotten word.." she sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes.
Serena got up and grabbed Raye. Tears were running down Serena's face as Serena dragged Raye infront of the Temple's Great Fire.
"Raye, ask!" Serena nudged her friend infront of it, "ASK! I HAVE TO KNOW NOW!" Tears flowed down her cheeks.
By this time, the other three girls were in the room. Raye looked at them and all three nodded.
"Serena... please, don't make me do this..."
Serena shook her head, "DO IT! NOW RAYE!"
Raye took a deep breath and shut her eyes in while Serena went to her knees beside her. Raye did more deep breathing, with each, the energy in the room heightened. After a few more minutes, Raye suddenly opened her eyes and brought her hands to Serena's temples.
Images flowed in, horrid pictures of a motorcycle smashed into pieces in the middle of the road. Police yellow tape was around the site. A transport was being towed away slowly, and people were clearing away from the scene. Other images that came looked like hospital rooms. The white images grew more and more red, then the images stopped, leaving one image for her to view. It was of Darien on a table with tubs and such sticking out of him. The doctors were putting a white sheet over him...
Raye disconnected, and tears were leaking down her face, "Serena, I told you... I didn't want to show you, but you didn't believe me... you didn't believe..."
Serena sat there for a few moments, remembering the last image, remembering Darien, lying there on the table, immobile and hooked up to all the tubes. The doctors slip the white sheet over him.
"NO! No... Darien... my Darien... we were supposed to be together, forever. We overcame the evil on Earth together; we even overcame the evil on the Moon. Darien... you weren't killed by evil, you were killed by..."
Serena couldn't finish, she ran out of the temple, leaving a trail of tears behind her.
'I will not let my Darien die... I can't let him die.' Serena ran harder, gasping for breath but still running. She reached her street and sprinted home, tears still trailing behind her.
The door flew open to her home as she ran through. Serena didn't bother shutting it. Her dad was sitting in the living room, reading the evening paper, "Serena... why are you in such a hurry? What's wrong?"
Serena didn't answer, but went straight for her bed. She lifted up the mattress and threw it off the bed. Luna jumped off just in time before it hit the wall with a thud.
"Serena! What on Earth has gotten into you?" The black cat questioned.
"Darien... no... it can't be. I will save you.." Serena mumbled incoherently, not answering Luna's question, only making Luna more confused.
Serena grabbed her Crescent Moon Wand and her broach that held the Imperium Silver Crystal. The crystal caught Luna's eye, "Now Serena, what on Earth are you doing with that out? Especially when your family is still here and very much awake!"
Serena brought out her communicator and pressed a button. Up popped Raye. "Serena! What are you doing? Come back to the Temple. Friends help in this situation..."
Serena interrupted with a sullen but solid tone, "Raye, tell everyone that everything will be ok. Darien has died, but he will live on. We all will live on... On behalf of the Moon, we all will live." With that, Serena closed her communicator and threw it on the floor.
Luna spoke, "Darien died? How, when, why? Serena, what ARE you doing with that?"
"Luna, we will meet again. I love you."
Serena then ran from her room into the downstairs. Her family was all in the living room now, watching the news on the television. "A tragic event happened about an hour ago. A transport collided with a motorcycle. The cyclist Darien Shields died in the Tokyo hospital on arrival..."
Serena ran from the house, with family yelling in the background to her.
Serena arrived at the hospital within minutes. She had transformed into Sailor Moon to help her get there faster. Taking off the broach, she turned back into Serena and ran into the hospital, Crescent Moon Wand still in hand.
Serena could feel the energy being given off by Darien's dead body, so she followed it throughout the hallways until she reached the room that he was in. No doctors or nurses were there; they were helping another patient in the next room.
She ran in, wand still in hand. Serena took a look at Darien and let out a sob. Taking a moment, she collected herself and carefully walked over to Darien and placed a kiss on his cheek, the only place that wasn't covered in blood or was covered by tubes. A tear fell onto his face and ran down his cheek.
"My love, we will be together..." she raised her wand in the air, "On behalf of the Moon, we will all live!"
The crystal gave off a faded golden light. Serena channeled her energy into the crystal, and the light grew stronger. The hospital background was fading away, so was Darien. Serena looked down at herself and too, found she was fading away. She continued to put all of her energy into the crystal. Serena felt herself weaken, then thought of Darien the last time she saw him alive. He was laughing, smiling. He was filled with happiness, and love.
With that, the light grew so strongly that only the crystal remained. Then with a spectacular flash, everything disappeared. Then just as suddenly, another flash came and everything appeared again. Only everything wasn't as it was before.
Serena walked through the gardens, her white dress flowed behind her and her eyes sparkled as she glanced at the sight before her. Her eyes reflected the blueness of the Earth. A firm hand rested on her shoulder.
"My Princess..." she twirled around to find Prince Darien standing there in his black armor, sword at his side.
They had returned to the past. The end of peace for the Moon Kingdom was upon them as the Negaverse headed towards it from Earth.
Serena had fully remembered what she had done in the future, but remembers nothing about behind a Sailor Scout. All she knew was that they would be reborn once again before she could save Darien's life from that accident.