Author's Notes: Thanks so much for the reviews and the alerts. I hope you enjoy this story. Thanks again!
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon in any way.
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"Where is she?!" a frantic woman muttered under her breath as her crystal blue eyes gazed out the window into the stormy night. Her long blonde hair was pulled half up away from her face and held in place with a large red bow. At the moment. She wore a knee length black dress that hugged her body nicely; this being the reason she was known as the clan's temptress. Her face was filled with worry as she awaited the return of her friend.
"I'm sure she's fine Minako. Serenity can handle herself. Calm down." a blue haired Ami said not even glancing up from her current book.
"But she's never left by herself...she's always had one of us with her. What if something happened to her?!" Minako cried as she turned and looked at her fellows. No one seemed to be paying her much mind. Ami was reading her book, Rei was throwing darts at the wall, and Makoto was looking up new recipes. Minako wanted to rip her hair out from frustration but just as that thought crossed her mind the door slowly opened and a very wet Serenity walked in.
"Hello girls..." Serenity said with a slight nod of her head and slumped down in a chair. The four girls nearly jumped to their feet as if they had seen a ghost and all nodded their heads deeply to her.
Serenity looked at them and rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to do that?! Ugh!! It drives me absolutely crazy."
The girls nodded their heads and all took a seat around her. They sat in silence for a minute and then Minako spoke up. "Where have you been all night?! It's almost dawn. What if you had been caught in the light? You would have been killed!! Killed Serenity!! KILLED!!"
Serenity just stared at her with a curious eyebrow raised. She then turned to Rei with a smirk and asked, "Has she been like this all night?"
"Unfortunately. We couldn't get her to leave that window for even a second." Rei said as she, once again, began to throw her darts at the wall.
Serenity turned back towards her heavily breathing friend with a comforting smile. "Minako you are a great friend...but as you see...I am back in the safety of the castle...I was not killed by the sun. So stop worrying."
"Why didn't you tell us you were going out? Where did you go?" Minako said, her curious side kicking in.
Serenity just stared at the floor, no emotion showing in her face at all. A single strand of silver hair brushed the corner of her eyes and she gently tucked it behind her ear. The tension was thick in the room as the girls sat there in silence awaiting an answer from their friend and leader. The silence was finally broken by the door opening once again. A young girl stood in their presence. Her red hair a frizzy mess of curls and her big blue eyes looked at them cheerfully.
"Pardon me, Miss Serenity." Molly said, giving her a curtsy.
"Yes, Molly?" Serenity asked quietly, too tired to really focus on what the girl had to say.
"There is a Motoki here to see you."
At that, Serenity's face lit up and a large smile graced her face making her even more radiant. "That is good news. Thank you Molly. Now, if you would go tell our guest that I will be there shortly and then prepare a room for him."
"Yes, ma'am." Molly said, curtsying once more and then backed out of the room quietly.
Serenity stood and walked over to her closet to find another outfit that wasn't soaking wet. Her eyes roamed over the wardrobe although there wasn't much to choose from considering all she wore was black. However, she finally settled on a black turtle neck sweater and a pair of her favorite black pants and heels. She looked into the mirror and ran a hand through her tangled silver locks. WIthin seconds, she had all the knots removed and her hair fell silkily to just beneath her shoulders. Serenity turned towards her friends with a small smile.
"I'll be back in a bit...don't have too much fun without me." Serenity laughed.
"Yeah, yeah." Rei muttered as she got up from her chair to retrieve the darts from the wall.
Serenity rolled her eyes and left the room. As she walked down the hall she began to look around and noticed that it needed a few touch ups here and there. Man this place is looking run down...maybe fixing it up will distract Minako enough to leave me alone for a while. Serenity mused. She came to a large flight of stairs and saw one of her most trusted friends at the base of them. He looked up at her, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hello my love. How are you fairing this evening?" Motoki asked charmingly as he watched his friend descend the large staircase.
"As fair as a girl can with the weather being as dark as it is." Serenity teased as she reached the finale few stairs and then gave him a large hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Motoki smiled and looked down upon the petite girl and cocked his eyebrow. "Aren't you ever going to grow darling?"
Serenity scrunched her nose and playfully pinched his arm. "Don't be mean Motoki. I might just kick you out."
"Oh please." he murmured, rolling his eyes.
"So what brings you here dear Motoki? I haven't seen you in quite a while." Serenity asked as she led him into a room that appeared to be her office. A large bookcase lined the entire back wall and an old mahogany desk stood before it. On the left wall was a small window that peered out over the rose gardens in the back of the castle. Adjacent this wall was a small table with a bottle of spirits and on the wall hung a large photo that was covered by a black fabric.
Serenity took a seat behind her desk as Motoki walked over to the spirits and poured himself a drink. As he slowly sipped he glance up at the covered up picture. "I see you still have this picture hidden from sight."
Serenity nodded and Motoki looked over at her. "Why?"
"I don't want them to see me like this...what I've become." Serenity said softly.
"Them?" Motoki questioned as he took a seat before his friend.
"My parents..."
Motoki looked at the young girl with sympathy and set his glass down on her desk. "I'm sorry Serenity...do you-"
"It's fine." she said sharply, not really wanting to talk about her past. "We've drifted off the subject...why have you come?"
"Oh..so a man can't come visit his good friend anymore? Oh okay. I see how it is." Motoki said with a devilish grin.
"Oh hush. You know what I mean."
"Yes, yes. Of course. Well...if I told you I was here to catch up I'm afraid I would be lying."
"You're babbling Motoki. Just get to the point." Serenity said a little impatiently.
"Well..as you you know the fight against the Lycans has become even worse over the past year or two."
"I know...trust me...we have lost many good men and women to those beasts." Serenity said, her eyes turning a very pale blue and her fangs began to slowly grow, a sign that she was extremely pissed off.
"Serenity, I just don't think that we're ever going to win this war on our own. So, I propose that we join up with another clan. His clan is much larger than ours and would be a great ally to our forces." Motoki suggested as he took another sip of his drink.
Serenity sat there for a moment, her eyes and teeth returning to normal, as she listened to her friend's proposal. She laced her fingers together and placed them in her lap, her chair rocking back and forth.
"And who is this man you speak of, Motoki?" Serenity asked as she placed her hands and arms on the top of her desk and leaned forward.
"His name is Endymion." Motoki answered a little hesitantly.
"What? That pompous ass doesn't help anyone but himself and you expect me to put the lives of my clan in his hands?" Serenity asked a little shocked.
Motoki had expected this sort of reaction from his friend so he was well prepared to back up his suggestion. "Well like I said. His clan is much larger than ours and he would be able to guarantee our safety. Yes, he can be a little selfish sometimes, but he would be a good ally. You must think of your people. If we don't join with him. We will all die, Serenity."
Serenity sat there quietly, anger glittering in her eyes. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her bosom, in the meantime glaring daggers at the man sitting across from her. Finally, she spoke. "I'll think about it Motoki."
"Good. I knew you would listen to reason. Now, Endymion has agreed to meet you tomorrow afte-"
"WHAT?! YOU'VE ALREADY SPOKEN TO HIM?!" Serenity demanded as she stood and slammed her fist down hard on the desk, her eyes once again fading and her fangs growing.
Motoki merely sat there and looked up at her knowing that she wouldn't harm him. He let her calm down for a minute and then once again began to talk. "Yes I did. I wanted what's best for you Serenity. I had to. He's our last hope."
Serenity stared at him in disbelief and began to rub her temples. She could feel a major headache approaching with deadly speed.
"Fine. I will meet him. As for you...your usual room has been readied for you. I suggest you head to bed." Serenity said, venom seemingly dripping with every word.
Motoki nodded his head and stood. "I promise Serenity...this is best for the clan." With one last goodnight he left Serenity alone in her office. She sat there quietly for a second and then glanced out the window. She stood and as she stood in front of the window she could see the morning sun starting to peak above the horizon. She sighed heavily and closed the thick black curtains.
