Chapter16

Darien Shields

The knight Tesoris had been steadily increasing Rosa's energy level within the girl's tennis racket, patiently waiting as he controlled the poor girls into almost absolute cruelty as he waited for his master to give the order to take her energy.

Far away, meditating inside his hidden mansion, Nephrite waited just as patiently for his chance for glory. When he finally felt Rosa's energy level, he nearly laughed with glee.

Her energy level is at its peak! Go, Tesoris!

The knight immediately heard his master's command and summoned his powers. His spirit seeped out of the racket, taking the girl's energy with it. Rosa collapsed in a dead faint as Tesoris's body formed, encased in black armor and a red cape, a great battle axe hanging at his side. He stared down at the unconscious girl, his robotic voice chuckling as he relished his little victory.

"Your energy in now mine, little girl," he said.

"Hold it right there!"

Tesoris turned to see another young girl in a familiar uniform standing a short distance from him.

While the knight's spirit had been taking Rosa's energy, Serena had transformed. Now she stood before him, pointing her wand straight at him.

"You will never hit the ace by doing something so cruel," she declared, "Return that girl's energy to her, and I will spare your life."

"Humph," Tesoris raised his battle axe, "Impudent girl. Do you really think that I will do as you say?"

"It's worth a try," Serena debated whether or not to shoot a bolt of crystal energy at him, but settled with summoning a crystal blade instead.

"Then you are even more foolish. You can be no other than the one named Sailor Moon. I am brimming with excitement. After I kill you, I'll be able to deliver both the girl's energy and your head to my master."

"No thanks," Serena took her stance, "I prefer to keep my head."

She expected the knight to attack her straight up. Instead a white orb the size of a tennis ball appeared between the blades of the axe. Before she could react, the knight lifted his weapon and swung like a tennis player. The white orb sprung straight at her.

Serena acted on instinct and summoned her shield, expecting the orb to clash harmlessly against it when it impacted. Instead the orb dispensed and surrounded her, knocking her wand out of her hand and her shield disappearing. Before she realized what happened, she found herself completely adsorbed by white like light like she was inside a bubble.

"What the...?"

The knight laughed, "You fell for it like the naïve child you are! Enjoy your first and last flight through the air!"

With a wave of his hand the orb lifted, taking Serena with it. The Sailor Scout could only watch in horror as she was lifted higher and higher into the air. It hung there for a brief moment, then fell to the ground like a rock falling from the sky.

Serena screamed, expecting the the impact to kill her. Instead, when the orb hit the concrete court, she felt a great shock hitting her body as if she was being struck by lighting. She suddenly realized it actually was lighting.

Then the orb lifted again and started bouncing around the court like an uncontrolled basketball, each impact shocking her with lighting. He skin burned and her uniform blackened. As her strength was drained away with each strike, she realized that the knight was slowly torturing her to death. Cursing at her herself for her stupidity and overconfidence, she awaited her death as blackness started to consumed her.

Then the orb suddenly disappeared before the next impact and she collapsed on the court, battered, bruised, and burned. She heard two people cursing, one from the knight and the other from a familiar voice.

"Sailor Moon!" it said desperately.

Her eyes snapped opened, her visioned blurred before it cleared and she saw a face wearing a familiar white mask.

"Tuxedo Mask," she whispered and tried to summon a smile.

"Avon be praised, you're alive," he smiled weakly, gently caressing her cheek, "Where does it hurt?"

She coughed, "Everywhere," it was so difficult to breath.

Had she the strength, she would have flinched from the way he gritted his teeth and how his anger seethed from him.

"I'll get you out of here," he started to lift her.

"No!" she placed a hand on his warm chest to stop him, "We have to stop... that knight. He has that girl's energy."

"I'll take care of it," he protested, "You are in no condition to fight."

"I can... heal myself," she gasped, "Luna taught me how. Please... I have to finish this... for my friend. Just... give me some time."

She felt her hero hesitate, sensing how reluctant.

"Alright," he put her down, "I'll give you the time you need."

"Thank you," she tried to smile again.

Tuxedo Mask had arrived just in time to see Sailor Moon bounce around the court in the white orb, each impact shocking her with lighting. His fury took him and he jumped into the court. The knight, busy with his torturing of the Sailor Scout, didn't notice that he was behind him.

He took out a red rose bud from his belt and flung it, striking the knight right in the back. Before the knight realized what happened, the bud sprouted and ropes shaped like rose vines wrapped around him, trapping his arms. Even as he started to lose his balance, Tuxedo Mask was at Sailor Moon's side in a instant.

The knight was finally able to free himself as Tuxedo Mask set Sailor Moon down and turned to face him, hiding his anger with a cocky smile. He trusted Sailor Moon enough that she'd be able to heal herself and join the fight again. He would willing to lay down his life to give the time she needed.

"How dare you interfere, boy!" the knight screamed at him, "For that, you shall end up like her!"

"I think not," Tuxedo Mask said coolly as he drew his black rapier, "I take no delight in torturing young ladies. Why don't you try it?"

"You fool!" the knight laughed, "You will now feel how it's like to be tortured as she was!"

The knight summoned the white orb again. Just before he launched it, Tuxedo Mask leaped into the air, causing him to correct his aim. However, the orb still shot well bellow the hero. The knight lifted his gaze, preparing to launch another orb, but he was blinded by one of the over lights.

Tuxedo Mask took that opportunity and took out his cane. Aiming it at the knight, it expanded and the struck the knight straight in the chest, knocking him right off his feet. His plan, hope, was to keep the knight's attacks focused on him, giving Sailor Moon the time she needed to heal herself.

During that moment, Serena struggled to stand. Her body was in pain and every effort made it more painful, but she was not going to accept defeat. Had it only been a simple wound, she could heal herself instantly. But since her entire body was injured she had to use a stronger healing spell, requiring her to stand so she could perform the spell in the correct. If Amy and Raye were here they could have healed her themselves, but since they weren't she would have to do it herself.

With the remaining strength she had left she made one last effort. Her knees wobbled, but she remained standing. She didn't take the time to celebrate as her gaze caught Tuxedo Mask fighting the knight. Her hero had given her the chance she needed. The rest was now up to her.

She clasped her hands together as if she was praying and closed her eyes.

"Venia, curaret me!" she cried and raised her arms as if she embracing God.

Golden light appeared at her feet and surrounded her. The serious burns and other injuries littering her body disappeared, her uniform returning to its prime condition. Her strength returned to her and she felt as if she was walking under a warm spring day. It was as if her injuries had never happened.

The golden light disappeared, the spell now complete. Serena opened her eyes, her confidence and determined having reached new heights.

"Sailor Moon!"

She saw Tuxedo Mask toss her wand at her. During the her healing phase he had found it lying on the court and picked it up. Serena caught it and summoned a crystal blade again. On the other side of the tennis net, the knight stared at her as if he was facing a dragon.

"Let's try this again, knight," she challenged, "I'm not finished just yet."

The knight growled and raised his weapon again. As Serena prepared herself Tuxedo Mask was at her side again.

"Take this!" the knight screamed.

Serena expected him to throw another white orb, but instead his axe spouted fire like a flame thrower. Just as she was thinking that she was going to get burned again, Tuxedo Mask snatched her into his left arm and leaped into the air, the roaring fire missing them by a yard.

For moment, Serena forgot all about being a Sailor Scout and fighting the enemy. Nothing could compare to the way her heart was beating and how his strength made her feel so protected. She felt herself floating, soaring, in the arms of her hero.

"Let's finish him together!" his words jerked her wits back to reality.

"R-Right!" she said.

The fire had dispensed enough that they were able to land back down on the court safely.

"I'll take care of his weapon," he said as he let her go, "You strike the instant he's defenseless."

Serena didn't have time so much to nod when the knight attacked again with the fireball. Both her and Tuxedo Mask sidestepped to either side of the fireball.

Tuxedo Mask pulled a rose bud sticky grenade and threw. It stuck to the knight's axe and exploded. The knight only received minor injuries thanks to his armor, but his weapon was completely destroyed.

"Now, Sailor Moon!"

As Serena raised her sword to attack, she saw Tuxedo Mask suddenly double over from the corner of her eye. Her focus on the knight evaporated, replaced with concern for her hero. He was holding his head as if though he was having a very painful headache. At the same instant, his clothes starting flashing with white light.

"Tuxedo Mask!" she starting running toward him, "Are you hurt?"

"Don't worry about me!" Tuxedo Mask said quickly, "Finish the knight! Your friend's life depends on it!"

Serena stopped, realizing he was right. As much as she wanted to help him, Rosa's life was more important than his at the moment. If she didn't return Rosa's energy, Rosa would possibly die.

"Alright," she said and charged at the knight, jumping over the net.

The knight had been able to recover from the explosion. He saw Sailor Moon flying at him with her sword raised and grabbed her. Serena had no chance to react as he threw her over his head headfirst toward the chain linked fence. She saw the fence coming quickly to her and flipped over, putting her feet out in front of her.

Dave and Luna had taught how to counter strong enemies who liked to throw their opponents into solid objects with their brute strength. In this case, as soon as her feet hit the fence, she let her weight sink into it. The fence sank a little as she lifted her head to meet the knight's gaze, her body now vertical over the ground.

Then she used the very trick Luna had taught her in launching an unexpected counter attack. She charged energy into her feet and launched herself off the fence. Tesoris was caught totally unprepared. With no weapon to defend himself, he couldn't even duck in time before Serena's blade cut his head off.

She flipped over the net and landed perfectly on the court again. Turning as she stood, she saw the knight's headless body fall to the ground. The energy he had taken seeped out from him and flowed back to Rosa's body before the knight itself disappeared, head and all. She rushed over to see if Rosa was alive and was relieved to feel a pulse.

"Sailor Moon!"

She looked up and saw Luna running toward her. Amy and Raye were right behind, both in their Sailor Scout uniforms.

"Are you alright?" Luna gasped and looked around, "What happened?"

Quickly Serena explained what happened. When she finished, Luna stared at her in amazement.

"You took that knight on all by yourself after taking a beating? I'm impressed, well done."

"Thank you," Serena beamed, winking at her friends. Amy grinned at her, but Raye only rolled her eyes, "But I had some help from Tuxedo..."

On a gasp she whirled to where she had last seen Tuxedo Mask, but he was no longer there. She rushed over to the spot, unable to believe she had completely forgotten about him.

"He's not here," she looked around, knowing that by now he could anywhere, "I hope he's okay."

"Tuxedo Mask was here?" asked Luna.

"Yes, I would've have died if he hadn't arrived. He gave me enough time to heal myself after I was nearly shocked to death. Just a moment before I finished off the knight, Tuxedo Mask was kneeling at this very spot, looking like he was in pain. I thought he had been wounded, but he told not to worry about him and save Rosa. There was something that was really odd, too. When I saw him kneeling like that, his clothes starting flashing."

"Flashing?" Luna frowned.

"Yeah, like a light bulb."

Serena watched as Luna went into deep thought.

"Do you know what happened to him?" she asked after a moment.

"I'm not sure," Luna said, shaking her head, "This a very unusual. I have a suspicion, but it will be impossible to explain until I can learn more about him. If he wasn't wounded, then we'll see him again soon."

"I hope so," Serena murmured before they rejoined the others

"How is she?" Luna asked.

"She's fine," Raye rose after observing Rosa's still unconscious body.

"How did you guys get here?" Serena asked, "I didn't have time to let you know where I was or what was going on."

"Amy and I were doing some extra training at the cathedral when Luna suddenly felt a surge of energy coming from this direction," Raye explained.

"She told us to transform and follow her," added Amy, "You must have just defeated the knight just before we arrived."

"I did," Serena nodded proudly, "Although I probably should have called you first before taking him on. If it hadn't been for Tuxedo Mask, I would have died trying to defeat him by myself."

"What I don't understand," Amy glanced down at Rosa, "Is why they only targeted one person this time. They've never done that before."

"That thought occurred to me as well," Raye nodded thoughtfully, "Why did they go after only one person instead instead of a bunch of people like before?"

"Because our new general of the Dark Kingdom is using a completely different tactic to gather energy from humans," Luna stated, "It's just what I suspected. Serena, explain to me what exactly happened, specifically when the knight first appeared."

Serena blinked and thought for a moment.

"Well," she took a breath, "to begin with, Molly and I-"

"Molly?"

"She's back there in the bushes," she said quickly and pointed, "Unconscious, but okay."

She went on to explain how Rosa was a long time friend of Molly's and was also a talented tennis player. She then told them about how Molly had asked her to come over and how they arrived here at the tennis center.

"Even before we entered the place," she went on, "I immediately sensed that something was wrong. When we entered the court, I saw that Rosa was not herself at all. If was as if she had become the exact opposite of who she is. To put it in a word: evil. And I the energy signature I was feeling from her, it was incredible! It felt as though it was it was just to burst at any moment."

"As me and Molly tried to reason with her, Rosa just lost it. She swung at us with that racket and magic power surged from it, knocking us into the bushes back there. After I quickly made sure Molly was alright, I looked over to see the knight's spirit coming out of the racket, taking the Rosa's energy with him because she collapsed in a dead faint. As the knight's own body formed, I transformed. The rest you know."

Luna glanced over at the racket lying on the ground and walked over to it, taking a moment to observe it.

"There's evidence that a powerful magic spell was performed on this," she announced, "Serena, do you recall anyone who might have touched this racket besides Rosa?"

Serena thought for moment, "Actually, there was. Earlier today, just after Molly and I got out of school, we went over to the school tennis courts to watch Rosa practice. A businessman named Mason Sanderson came over and gave Rosa some advice about serving the ball. He's the only one I saw who touched the racket."

"What did he look like?" asked Luna, eyes now narrowed.

"Tall, broad shouldered, long deep red hair, and very handsome. He wasn't dressed like a businessman, but he clothing was very casual. I couldn't see his eyes, but I remember that he was watching Rosa intently."

"Do you think that man may be the culprit?" asked Raye.

Amy shook her head, "Even if he is guilty, we don't have have enough evidence to know he's from the Dark Kingdom. As far as we know, anyone could have touched that racket."

"When Molly was talking to me earlier," Serena put it, "she told me that Rosa didn't start acting the way she was until after that man came."

"That makes it likely that that man is our suspect," Luna said thoughtfully, "but Amy's right. We don't enough proof to know that he is responsible. However, I do know of the method that was used for taking that girl's energy and the reason for it."

"You do?" Serena glanced at her.

"Yes," Luna took a breath, "It's called the energy peak, or sometimes energy burst. It was a common technique among Sailor Scouts and other magic users. You know how energy is used to enhance attacks when using weapons and spells? There is also a technique that allows a user to go beyond their energy levels to make their attacks several times stronger than a normal enhancement, which is what the energy. For some users, the energy peak will last only while for others it can last for quite a while depending on how well they've mastered the technique."

"However, this technique can also be very dangerous if the user is not fully aware of what he or she is capable of and does not use it properly. Energy peaks can make you very powerful for a period of time, but there is danger of killing yourself in the process due to extreme exhaustion. In Rosa's case, whoever cast the spell to possess her racket had the intent of forcing her energy level to its peak and then taking it away from her, not caring whether or not she lived or died. It's possible to survive an energy peak, but it would you leave extremely tired and, in the worst cases, defenseless."

"That girl is very fortunate to be alive. If Serena hadn't destroyed that knight and returned Rosa's energy to her, unless she had a strong will to live, she would have more thank likely died for that very reason."

Dead silence passed as the girls took in what Luna had told them, their mouths open with shock.

"My God," Amy felt dizzy for a moment, "We're dealing with a monster here."

"'For the evildoers shall be cut off'," Raye placed a hand on her heart, "'but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land'. Psalm 37:9. I only say that because this is an evil that cannot be tolerated."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Serena clenched, "If that man Sanderson, and I doubt that's his real name if he from the Dark Kingdom, is responsible for this, then I will make him pay for it. To do something like this to someone is beyond horrible, it's inhuman!"

"A sad but true sentiment," Luna nodded, "My suspicion on the possibility that our new enemy would use a different tactic in collecting energy turned out to be true. This new enemy isn't like Jadeite, so we must be careful from this point. Since the Dark Kingdom is now targeting a specific person instead of a group of people, we're going to have a harder time tracking the enemy down. Be on the lookout, everyone. Keep your eyes and ears open and your senses sharp. If any of you feel something that feels like a unusual surge of energy, contact the others and get on it right away," she suddenly turned her head toward the bushes, "I believe Molly's beginning to stir."

Serena glanced to where her friend was lying.

"You guys better get out of here," she said quickly and transformed back into her civilian clothes, "I can't go with you since our parents are expecting us back at Molly's place. I'll meet up with you at the cathedral tomorrow."

Luna and the other Scouts nodded their agreement and were gone as Serena ran over to Molly's side. A moment later her friend opened her eyes, moaning as she tried to sit up.

"Easy," Serena said when Molly flinched in pain, "You took a good knock to head."

"Wha...What happened," Molly moaned again, "All I remember was Rosa losing her temper and then... Rosa! Is she here still here? Is she-"

"Easy," Serena said again, "She's alright. After you were knocked out, I argued with her to the point where she collapsed from exhaustion. Come on, she should be waking up in a few minutes."

She help Molly stand and guided her to where Rosa lay. On a gasp, Molly flung herself to Rosa's side and turned her over, placing her friend's head on her lap.

"Rosa!" she said desperately, "Can you hear me? Rosa!"

A few minutes later, Rosa finally stirred opened her eyes to meet Molly's. Serena smiled cheerfully while Molly openly wept with relief.

"Rosa!" she cried, "Thank goodness you're alright."

"Molly?" Rosa whispered, "What happened? Oh! My head feels like it's about to split open."

"You overexerted yourself and collapsed from being so worn out," said Serena, "You need to be more careful when taking your frustration out on your friends and the sport you love so much. You nearly scared Molly to death."

"Is that what happened?" Rosa moaned.

"You don't remember?" Molly sounded surprised.

"I don't remember anything like that," Rosa tried to sit up and Molly helped her up, "If any of that is true though, then I'm very sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"You were just pent up inside, that's all," Serena glanced up as a pair of headlights came into view, "Someone's here."

Molly glanced over her shoulder, "That should be her dad. He usually picks her up around this time. Can you stand, Rosa?"

"I think so, but my head still hurts a lot."

"Take some ibuprofen when you get home," Serena suggested as they helped Rosa stand, "Then get a good night sleep. You've had a long day, after all."

Over at the abandoned house, Nephrite stood there in silence, furious at the result of his failure to collect energy and destroy the Sailor Scouts.

"How is it they can be that strong?" he spat, "It's just impossible!"

As if to further his humiliation, a high pitched laugh reached his ears from above. He lifted his gaze to see Zoisite appear, floating above and smiling with glee.

"I told you you wouldn't be able to defeat those Sailor Scouts the first time," he smirked.

"I like to see you try," he shot back, "I doubt you could do any better."

"Oh," Zoisite, "believe me when I say I can, and I will. Unfortunately, I cannot act without Queen Beryl's approval. Until then, good luck with you next plan. After today, you're going to need it."

Nephrite gave him a black scowl as Zoisite laughed again and disappeared, living him alone again to go over his thoughts. He had underestimated the Sailor Scouts, but was most surprised when he realized his knight was only facing the one named Sailor Moon.

This presented a problem. Sailor Moon was the leader of the Original Nine and the overall leader of the Sailor Scouts Universe during the Silver Millennium. If she was strong enough to take down his knight, then she and others were well capable of taking on whatever else he sent at them, despite the fact they were only Prism Scouts, the lowest and weakest rank of the SSU.

"Avon is truly watching over them," he surmised, "They were his angels of peace and justice back then and still are now, even though their time has long passed. One thing is clear, these are not the same Sailor Scouts as before. The girls who wear those uniforms now have been given an impossible task, one they are determined to fulfill. I best wait for a few days before I make my next move. It will test Queen Beryl's patience, but if this mission is to succeed I have to take one step carefully at a time. Then, when the time comes, the Sailors Scouts and their legacy will be destroyed for all eternity."

Rosa honestly could not remember what had happened to her and why she acted the way she did. Serena, seeing that there had been no significant damage done, told Molly that that she could have just been having a bad day and suggested that they forget about the whole event. Rosa, however, felt very guilty for her behavior and made up for it after school by apologizing to everyone and even inviting Molly to play tennis with her for old times sake.

Happy to see that all was well, Serena watched and chuckled as Molly struggled to play the sport Rosa loved so much before she left them to their happiness. She was troubled by Tuxedo Mask's unusual condition in the skirmish last night, but until she saw him again she would have to assume that he was alright since there was nothing she could do for him.

I hope he's okay, she thought, It was bad enough when I thought we lost him at the airport after defeating Jadeite. Losing him now would absolutely kill me.

Since that night at the airport she had been wondering why she was so attracted to the dashing masked rogue. She thought about talking about it to Luna and her mother, but they would only tell her she was having a teenage crush. In a sense that was true, but there was more to it.

It felt as though she had met the young man before, but she couldn't recall where. Recently she had been having dreams about him. One was almost like a scene straight out of Romeo and Juliet, where she would standing on a balcony in some magnificent white palace looking down at her hero, dressed just like a prince in black. In another dream she would sitting on the lap of her hero looking down on the ocean and countryside lit by moonlight while he piloting some kind of flying machine.

What was interesting was that in both those dreams her hero was not wearing a mask like he always did. But every time she tried to see his face she would always wake up, making her both angry and blushing like the innocent schoolgirl she was. The dreams felt so familiar they actually felt like memories. And that was what bugging her, she had no recollection of something like that happening, but something kept telling her it was true.

Although she hadn't gotten a good look at her hero's face, she couldn't help noticing that there was something familiar about him. It mostly had to do with his hair, she realized. Black as midnight, just like the clothes he wore. She then remembered the annoying young man she had kept running into since that first time at the jewelry shop. His hair was the exact same color. She even remembered about Raye stating that the man looked so much like Tuxedo Mask. Come to think of it, they did bear quite a resemblance.

She suddenly stopped, blinking, then shook her head furiously. What was she thinking?! There was no way that annoying young man could be her hero, no matter how much they resembled each other! She meant it when she said it the first time! She didn't even know the man's name for heaven's sake!

Letting out a frustrated growl, she continued on her way to the cathedral.

When she reached there she found that Luna, her friends, and their trainers, had all come to the same conclusion they had had discussed just last night. Dave, however, was proud to hear how well she did fighting all by herself the knight. Apparently Luna hadn't mentioned the fact that she had came very close to dying and that Tuxedo Mask was there to help her.

Seeing that there nothing else to go on from what they already now, Serena and the other girls went on with their daily training routine for the next two hours before spending a third hour doing whatever homework they had.

Both Serena and Amy were getting excited for the weekend. On Saturday they would have their first day as Girl Scouts. Both of them were eager to put on their uniforms for the first time. Raye, however, was still upset at her grandfather and was all that much thrilled about the upcoming event at the park with Scout Mistress Jennifer Garret.

After they were finished at the cathedral for the day, Amy suggested that they get together on Friday and hang out after school. Eager for some time off, they asked their trainers and Luna if they could get out early. Happy with their progress, Luna suggested about giving them the day off instead and the trainers agreed.

And so Friday came and Serena returned home after school to find that Luna was nowhere in sight. Assuming that Luna was out on one of her meditating walks, she changed out of her school uniform and into a cute pink blouse and sea green skirt. She quickly brushed her hair and applied a little makeup before slipping on a pair of red slippers and heading out the door again, reminding Isabelle where she was going and would be back before dinner.

She met Amy and Raye at the cathedral a short time later. Amy had donned a light blue dress similar to what she wore when she and Serena went to mall shortly after they'd first met, but lacked the bow tie. Raye wore an interesting outfit consisting of pale yellow blouse and a blue jean skirt that came complete with a brown leather belt at the waist. Smiling together, they got onto a bus and were soon on their way.

The day steadily passed as they first went to the mall and visited various shops, looking here there but not really buying anything. After they left, Amy suggested wanted to visit the same park they were going to be at when they went with the Girl Scouts, stating that she wanted them to meet an old friend of hers. Curious, her friends agreed.

The sun was beginning to set when they arrived at Little Falls Park. The park itself and its little lake extended past the border of the District of Columbia and into the state of Maryland. Serena and Raye took a moment to admire its simple beauty, lit by the brilliant red hues of the sun.

"Wow," Raye breathed in the cool air, "It's really nice and surprisingly quiet here."

"I agree," Serena looked out at the little pedal boats operated by young couples, "It would be a perfect place to have a date."

"You really like it?" Amy beamed.

"Of course!" Raye smiled, "I'm bit surprised you know about this place a little."

"Not that much," Amy sighed sadly, "When my father died years ago, mother and I would come here to have some peace and quiet as a way to ease the pain. Mr. Oliver, I never asked what his last name is, would come over and talk to us even when we wanted to be alone. He's the head caretaker of this park and he's very nice. Mother's has been very grateful to him for helping her to move on after my father's death and he's been like a grandfather to me. Nowadays I come here to read when I don't have cram school or when I'm not training at the cathedral."

She looked over and saw someone tending a flower bed, "I thinks that him over there, since he's also a bit of a gardener. Come on, I'd like you meet him."

They followed her to where the man was knelt at the flower bed, spreading insect repellent powder across the pedals with his gloved hands.

"Mr. Oliver?" Amy said softly.

The man started and turned, lifting his cabby hat that shadowed his eyes.

"Amy!" Mr. Oliver smiled brightly and stood, taking off his gloves. He was in his early fifties and of average height, his face deeply tanned. His eyes and hair were both dark but his eyes showed nothing but kindness as he embraced Amy warmly.

"Amy, my little dove," he smiled down at her, "How are you? I haven't seen you in quite a while."

"I'm doing very well, Mr. Oliver," Amy returned warmly, "I haven't been able to come that often because of school and other things."

Mr. Oliver chuckled, "Still the bookworm, I see. You've also grown up a little since I last saw you. You're as lovely as your mother now."

"Thank you," Amy blushed.

Mr. Oliver looked over her shoulder, "I see you brought a couple of friends with you."

"Yes," Amy turned to them, "This is Serena and Raye, two very good friends. Serena and I go to the same school together."

The girls exchanged greetings with the caretaker.

"I'm happy to see you made two friends who are as lovely as you are," he said, making them both smile, "Do you have a few minutes, Amy? I like to show you something. Your friends can come along too, if they like. I was just finishing up with this flower bed when you came."

Amy looked at him curiously, "Sure."

Smiling brightly, Mr. Oliver picked up his gloves and tossed them into a wheelbarrow. He was about to pick up a pair of buckets filled a various garden items when Serena and Raye stepped in.

"Here," Serena smiled, "Let us carry these for you."

Mr. Oliver seemed a bit surprised, but nodded, "Thank you. Be careful of that one, Miss Raye. It's heavy and has a bunch of insect and rodent poisons."

"I'll be careful," Raye assured.

Together they walked with Mr. Oliver as he pushed his wheelbarrow down a path thought the park with walking side by side with him.

"Amy tells us you the head caretaker of this park," said Serena.

"Yes," he nodded, then sighed, "I do have a number of helping hands here, but they're so lazy I might as well be running it by myself."

"That must be hard for you," Raye eyes widened.

"I actually don't really mind," he grinned, "I like gardening and nature, and as long as I can keep my hands busy I don't have to worry about anything else."

Amy eyes caught something across the lake that looked like a construction zone. Even though the sun was setting, the bulldozers and cranes will still hard at work and she could see construction workers moving here and there.

"That's new," she pointed, "What are they building over there?"

Mr. Oliver followed her gaze and grinned, "A little seafood restaurant in hopes they can bring in more visitors, which I think is a good thing. They're even going to put in a little fishing peer so the little kids can go fishing. They haven't been able to build do to past few rains we had so they're behind schedule and trying to make up for lost time."

"That's nice," Raye grinned, "We should try to visit here again when the restaurant opens."

"You'll probably see me there when it does," Mr. Oliver laughed, "I happen to like seafood after all. Ah, here we are."

They stopped before another flower bed, this one consisting of bluebells.

"Oh, my," Amy stared.

"I made this for you, Amy," Mr. Oliver smiled, "I remembered you mentioning to me that bluebells were your favorite flower. So I made an entire flower bed for you. I wanted to show this you as a birthday present, but then I realized that I never asked when you birthday was."

For a minute, Amy couldn't speak as she gazed at the flower bed as if in a dream. Then, her eyes prickling with tears, she hugged her good friend tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're very welcome, my little dove."

They then spent next half-hour helping Mr. Oliver tend the flowers with him giving them tips on how to take care of a garden should they happen to make one in the future. He even went to the extent of giving Amy a pot of the bluebells to her as a present. Overjoyed, she took them and gave him a fond kiss before announcing they should be going.

"Please come again soon," Mr. Oliver hugged her one last time, "And tell your mother I said hello."

"I will," Amy smiled, "And thank you again for the flowers."

"We'll actually be here again tomorrow," said Serena, "We just joined a Girl Scout troop a few days ago and we'll be doing a project here tomorrow."

"Oh, yes!" Amy flushed, "I can't believe I forgot about that."

"You're with the Girl Scouts now?" Mr. Oliver lifted his eyebrows, "I'm surprised seeing that you're a bit old for that. But, better late than never."

"You can say that again," Raye muttered under her breath.

"You must be with Jennifer Garret's troop."

Raye brought her gaze up, "Do you know her?"

"Only a little. She's done several projects with her troop over the years, so chances are we'll see each other again."

"I hope so," Amy smiled, hefting her flower pot, "Well, we better be going. We'll hopefully see you tomorrow."

"Take care, Amy," Mr. Oliver smiled.

A short time later they were back in Serena's familiar neighborhood. The sun had set and the stars were out. As they came toward the arcade center, Serena was about to ask her friends if they like to play at the arcades since they still had a little time when something caught her eye.

A man in running clothes suddenly dashed out across the street, a dump truck coming right toward him. She gasped in horror as the man snatched something from the street and kept running, jumping onto the sidewalk. The dump truck didn't even slow down and went on its way. The landing was now kneeling a short distance from her, cradling a black cat in his arms.

"Are you alright?" she heard him say, "No, you don't look hurt."

Serena gasped as she recognized the man's voice. It was the annoying man she had several times before and had always called Meatball Head. Then she saw the cat lift its head and she immediately recognized it was Luna!

"Hey!" she yelled and marched forward, "What do you think you're doing to my Luna?!"

The man lifted his gaze, confirming that it really was him. His handsome face held a black scowl as he stood, obviously recognizing her.

"If she's your cat, you should keep a better eye on her," he shot back, "She's nearly got run over!"

"Give her to me," Serena snatched Luna from his arms, "She's none of your business! Besides, she's not some average alley cat."

Poor Luna felt like she was some toy being argued over by two little children. She had been lost in deep thought and hadn't been paying attention when she had attempted to cross the street. If this man hadn't saved her just now, she would have been dead. As she hung there helplessly in Serena hands, unable to speak because of the man's presence, Amy and Raye came to her rescue.

"Serena, stop it!" Raye scolded.

"Yes, please," Amy pleaded, "He's just saved Luna's live. You should at least be thanking him."

Serena's criticism only made her more irritated. It was bad enough whenever she being humiliated by this man, but to hear her friends criticizing her in front of him only made it worse.

"Why are you guys taking his side now?" she glared at them.

Just at that moment, the sliding doors of the arcade center opened and Andrew stepped out. He didn't see the girls right away, his gaze focused on the young man in front of them.

"Hey, Darien," he smiled, "You finally made it."

"Yo, Andrew," the man returned, "Sorry I'm late."

Serena stared at the young man and then at Andrew. Darien? Andrew knew this man? Before Andrew could speak again, Serena interrupted him.

"Andrew?" she pointed at the man named Darien, "You... know this guy?"

Andrew seemed surprised at first to her and her friends there, but he nodded.

"Uh, yeah," he introduced his friend, "This is Darien Shields. He's goes to the same high school as I do."

Serena stared at him and then turned her gaze onto Darien, who now had his strong arms crossed and was looking at her as if daring her to say something smart.

"You're... a high school student?!" were the only words that came out of her mouth.

Darien only lifted an eyebrow, "Is there a problem with that? If I recall, you've already seen me in my school uniform."

She had, she'd just forgotten. It was most likely because he had caught her from falling when she had walked right into him. The memory of him holding her in his strong arms came back and she felt a blush rising to her face. Shaking her head furiously, she set Luna down and stormed into the arcade center.

Darien watched her go with open curiosity, before shrugging and walking in as well, Andrew right beside him. They were starting to chat as the doors slide closed, leaving Luna, Amy, and Raye standing there in bewilderment.

"Well," Raye spoke first, "That was unexpected."

"Indeed," Luna nodded, looking amused, "If I didn't know any better, I think Serena actually likes that young man named Darien."

Raye looked at her, startled, "You really think so? After seeing that, I highly doubt she has any hint of romance in her head."

"You never know," Luna shrugged, "Opposites do have a tendency to attract."

"What were you doing crossing the street without looking?" Amy asked.

"Oh, that," Luna shrugged, "I was thinking too much and wasn't paying attention. My fault entirely."

Amy and Raye looked at each other. Luna didn't seem to be herself at all. Whatever she had been thinking about it obviously consumed her entire mind.

"Are you alright, Luna?" Raye asked suspiciously, "You seem a little... off."

Luna's expression turned into a frown, "I haven't been drinking, if that's what you're suggesting. And since when do cats actually drink?"

"No!" Raye flushed with embarrassment, "I wasn't suggesting that! I was just-"

"Never mind," Luna sighed, "I should be getting back to Serena's house. Don't stay out too late, girls."

"Be careful, Luna," Amy called as the cat went on her way.

After she disappeared out of sight, Amy and Raye looked at each other again but could only shrug and walked into the arcade center.

Serena was already playing the Sailor V and, as usual, she was having hard with it again. Amy went over to her side to see how she was doing. Raye, however, looked around for the young man named Darien but he was nowhere in sight. Instead, she found Andrew looking over one of the arcade machines.

"Okay!" she heard Serena yell as she strolled over to him, "Another dollar going in!"

"Are you sure it's okay to waste so much money on this?" said Amy.

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Serena replied impatiently.

Raye ignored them both and put on a smile as she approached Andrew.

"Hello, Andrew," she said.

Andrew looked up and smiled, "Hello, Raye. Can I help you with something?"

"Actually," Raye sat down on a nearby arcade machine stool, "I wanted to ask about your friend Darien. What do you know about him?"

Andrew looked at her curiously but answered, "Not a whole lot, to be honest. I first met him when we started high school in our freshman year. He was really quiet and a bit nervous at first, but once we started talking to each other we became good friends."

"I do know that his parents died in a car accident when he was little and that he's been living with his great-uncle, since his grandparents wouldn't take him in because his mother was their daughter and she married a man they didn't approve of. His great-uncle is a famous English professor at UDC."

"The University of the District of Columbia?" asked Raye, surprised.

"Yup," Andrew nodded.

"Wow," Raye took a moment to take that in, "That explains his casual clothing and gentlemanly manners."

"Well," Andrew chuckled, "I wouldn't so much call him a gentleman. He's very serious about his schooling, but I think that's because he doesn't know what he's going to be doing after he gets out of high school. On top of that, he's not interested in dating any girls. He'll be nice to them, since they all think he's the cutest guy at school, but he'll never spent lunch with them or even go out with them. So I wouldn't get your hopes up for going out on a date with him, if that's why you're asking me about him."

Raye's jaw dropped and her face blushed.

"No!" she held up her hands and waved them innocently, "I was only curious about him, that's all!"

Andrew only looked at her with a amused expression before he went on his way, leaving Raye sitting there all alone. She didn't mind, for despite what she had learned about Darien, she was already plotting to become his girlfriend and go out on a day with him.

Darien Shields, she thought as a devilish grin spread across her lips, He and I will be a perfect match for each other. Serena was right about that park. I'll take Darien out on a date with him and we'll spend some time there.

"Alright!" Serena yelled again, "This will be the last time!"

Back over at Little Falls Park, Mr. Oliver was watching the construction workers working hard into the night from atop of a little hill covered with trees. He liked watching them and would sometimes stroll over to talk to them whenever they went on break.

"This will be a nice little addition to the park," he said to himself.

"Quite despicable, don't you think?" said a voice from behind.

Startled, Mr. Oliver whirled around to see a casually dressed young man with long dark auburn hair and cold blue eyes coming to his side. He seemed to be growing very angry as he watched the construction unit.

"Humanity seems to have forgotten what nature bestows upon them," the man continued, "They cut down trees, pollute the oceans and air, kill the animals for sport, and build building after building, all for their pathetic convenience."

Mr. Oliver bristled and he fought the urge to beat the man to a bloody pulp. He hated it when he had to deal with environmentalists and animal rights activists. This man had the very look of both of them combined.

"What are you talking about?!" he nearly screamed, "We've taken good care of our forests, rivers and oceans, and have protected animals as best we could. It's idiots like you who keep could causing problems for us with your insane anti-humanity and anti-industry ideals!"

The man ignored him and said, "It's time for someone to teach these conceited humans the wrath of nature. And you will lead that movement."

Mr. Oliver blinked, "What?"

Before he could react, the man placed a hand on his head and he felt the world go dark. When everything cleared the man was gone, but he was sweating as if he had awoken from a terrible nightmare. Then he saw the construction unit again and he suddenly became very angry.

A minute later, the construction workers were running for their lives as animals and insects attacked them, destroying their equipment in the process.

Nephrite watched from the shadows and grinned with satisfaction.

With my druid possessing your hat, you have the power to call the trees, the animals, and the insects to your will. The more you use those powers, the more your energy will increase.

He gave a laugh and walked away, waiting for the time to come.