Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Drake, Sara, Salem, Sola, Apollo, and anyone else, are solely figments from my imagination.
Chapter Six: Birthday Troubles
A yellow convertible pulled up into the small parking lot near Le Lune High School. From the back seat darted two blonde teenage boys, hurrying for the building.
"Land!" One of them shouted, ignoring the annoyed glare from the tall dark blonde driver.
"Morning, Amara!" Serena's cheerful voice rang out as she walked past. "Isn't it a wonderful day?"
Amara turned, slightly distracted. "Oh, hey, Serena. Morning, I suppose. Don't forget, we have more practice to do after school today. See you later, Michelle. I have to go check on track results."
The aquamarine haired girl shook her head and turned to walk towards the school. Amara was already through the doors before either of them had taken a step.
Serena let out a sigh and dropped her gaze to the sidewalk. Tears shimmered at the corners of her blue eyes as she hugged her small stack of textbooks to her chest.
"What's wrong, Serena?" Michelle placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything."
She sniffled. "Today's June 30. It's my birthday. Amara never forgets. In fact, she's the only one who's remembered every year. Until this one. I always woke up to a phone call or an e-mail from her, saying Happy Birthday, Meatball Head. But not this year. I didn't even get a happy birthday from my parents, either."
"I'm sure Amara's just worried about these Heartsnatchers, and track meets on top of that. I'm sure she'll remember before the end of the day. And if she doesn't, I'll make her sorry she forgot."
Serena gave a watery smile. "Thanks, Michelle. I needed that. Even my friends back in Tokyo forgot all about today being my birthday. You'd think even my ex-boyfriend would be able to remember."
"Well, there is a reason he's your ex-boyfriend, right?" Michelle was a bit surprised. Serena had never mentioned a boyfriend before. "And, I wouldn't tell Amara about him. She'd probably want to go beat him up for making you so sad. I can tell he still does."
"He broke up with me just before we moved here. I didn't really get a chance to find out why." Serena reached up to wipe away the tears in her eyes. "Look at the time. I don't want to be late for Accelerated Chemistry."
"Just watch out. The Medical Student Conference is in Le Lune this year, and so there will be a lot of strangers roaming around town for the next several days," declared Zack, strolling back over to join them. "A lot of our class is going to be leaving shortly after the bell, so chances are a lot of your classes are going to be free periods today."
"That's right. You're going to the conference, too, aren't you, Zack?" Michelle asked.
The teenaged boy nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't able to go last year. Still too young, apparently. It should be a real blast."
"Flight 249 arriving from San Francisco."
A large group of people, ranging from sixteen to twenty six, flooded out of the plane that rested on the tarmac. Most of them hurried towards the series of buses that waited just on the other side of the chain-link fence. Two of them hung back, strolling slowly across the hot black pavement.
"So, this is Le Lune, California," observed the shorter of the two, a young girl with navy blue hair. "I expected the town with the best medical preparatory school in America to be a bit bigger."
"Supposedly the town is mostly all students. They live here year round at boarding houses and only go home on breaks. Most of their parents don't even live around here," answered the taller of the two, a young man with ebon black hair and midnight blue eyes.
"I just wish we'd been known about the other event earlier. Part of me would rather be there than here," stated the girl. "I mean, it would be nice to surprise Serena, wouldn't it, Darien?"
Darien shrugged. "I suppose, Amy. I just don't know. I'm not sure Serena really wants to see me, after I broke up with her."
"I doubt she'd let that stop her. Serena really loves you, Darien. I don't think she'll let you keep you two apart. If that made any sense."
Darien laughed and shifted his black duffle bag as he walked Amy across the tarmac and to the buses.
"Doctor, I've found a perfect candidate for our next Heartsnatcher. Her Heart Crystal surely must have the power we're looking for," stated Kaori Night, standing behind a man, hidden in the shadows. "I have no doubt that she has what we're looking for."
"Very good, Kaori. I've made an extra special pod for this one. Don't fail me this time. You're the only one I can trust with something like this."
"Yes, Doctor."
Serena spun her pencil between her fingers, unable to tear her gaze away from the clock on the wall. Just twenty more minutes and the school day would be over. Then, she'd have the afternoon to spend with Amara and Michelle, training to fight.
Just the way I really wanted to spend my birthday. Not!
The pencil spun faster and faster, but the hands on the clock seemed to move even slower as she watched them.
And there wasn't anything from the girls in my e-mail when I got to check it during computer class, either. Did everyone really forget that today is my birthday? I'm turning sixteen, after all! Sweet Sixteen. How hard is it to remember that? And Amara never forgets. Never.
Finally, the bell rang at last. Serena shoved the textbook in front of her into the pink and white book bag she used for school work, now. She made her way out of the classroom, letting all of her classmates surge out ahead of her.
Her blonde ponytails seemed to drag on the ground behind her as she made her way to the yellow convertible in the parking lot. Jason already waited there, leaning casually against the trunk. Red balls spun in a blur as she approached.
"Hey, Serena. Don't look so down! It's a gorgeous day outside. Too beautiful to spend indoors working, you know," he stated with a grin. "Unfortunately, that's exactly where I'll be. I've got to head up to Lilly Blossom Temple. See you later."
Serena watched him dart off on his bright red skateboard. I can hardly expect Jason to know it's my birthday. He's not even actually related to me, unlike Amara, Zack, and Mal. Or my parents. Or my brother. I can't exactly count on him to have even bothered to ask.
"Hey, Serena. Do you mind if we run a few errands before heading to the dojo?" Michelle asked, walking up beside her. "There's some things I need to pick up for my mother."
The blonde girl was so miserable, she missed as Michelle quickly crossed her fingers.
"Sure, Michelle. Whatever you want to do is fine with me."
Michelle leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Try a little window shopping while we're out. You might find a good birthday present. You never know what you'll find when you window shop in Le Lune."
A bright smile crossed the younger girl's face as she climbed into the convertible's backseat. Hey, I can check out that pair of glass shoes down at The Glass Shoppe, then! I absolutely love them. They are so Cinderella!
"You both ready to go then?" Amara demanded, sliding into the driver's seat. "Zack's going to head home later, when the conference ends. He'll probably be able to catch a ride with one of the other Le Lune High students.",
The other two girls smiled and nodded as the car started and zoomed out of the parking lot.
Darien walked down the main street of Le Lune.
Alright. I know I broke up with Serena, but that doesn't mean I can't find something to send her for her birthday, does it? I mean, I could still try to be her friend, couldn't I? There's still the possibility that the dream isn't even true. Just because a dream told me that Serena would die if I didn't stay away from her doesn't make it true. It could just have easily been a trick from the Negaverse, right?
He groaned and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. He had thought the debate with himself was over. He had broken up with Serena to protect her, and that was that. Now, he was trying to argue that he could have stayed with her, again. It shouldn't matter, anyway. Serena wasn't anywhere near him, after all.
A sudden ringing laugh caught his attention. There was no way that familiar laugh could be anyone else! His midnight gaze darted up the street, to focus on the familiar bun and ponytail hairstyle of the girl he loved with all his heart. Serena stood in front of a small shop, just half a block away. Then, he saw the person standing beside her. A tall man with dark blonde hair, dressed in black pants, a black shirt, and a blood red blazer, leaned against the brick wall beside her. Serena had laughed at some statement he had made.
From somewhere deep inside, Darien heard himself growl. How dare some random guy make a move on his girlfriend! Serena belonged with him, forever. There was no two ways about it. The dream didn't matter. Having broken up with Serena didn't matter. She was still his girl! He had to keep himself from running over and punching the guy in the face, for daring to evenlook in Serena's direction.
"Alright, Amara. I'll meet up with you at Drake's bookstore in about fifteen minutes. I just wanted to take a closer look at a couple of things that Genevieve put on display," stated Serena, as her cousin pushed away from the brick wall. "Go ahead and pick up the car parts I know you're dying to get while we're here. I'll be fine."
Amara grinned. "You sure, Serena? I could stay with you a little longer. You seem a little down today."
The blonde girl shook her head, the long pigtails bouncing. "I'm sure. I'll be fine."
Her cousin nodded and walked off down the street.
"Who's he?" The sharp, curt comment caught Serena's attention immediately. But he couldn't possibly be in Le Lune!
She whirled, turning to stare up into the face that haunted her dreams. Familiar midnight blue eyes were filled with something she couldn't quite recognize. She wasn't sure she wanted to.
"What does it matter? You broke up with me," she reminded him, throwing her head back and glaring at him.
Darien's hands tightened into fists at his sides. "That's beside the point."
"No, Darien. That is the point. You broke up with me, so you have no right to try and tell me who I can spend time with. You're just as much of an idiot now as you were when I first met you. Whatever did I see in you? It obviously wasn't your fashion sense," she sneered. "Or your manners."
She spun on her heel, striding away from him. His hand darted out and wrapped around her upper arm.
"Let go of me, Darien," she whispered, her voice deadly. "All I have to do is scream and dozens of people will come running to beat you up for laying a hand on me."
Startled, he relaxed his grip. Before he could say another word, Serena had already disappeared up the street.
Neither of them saw the short, blonde teenage boy standing directly across the street, a look of horror on his face as he watched them. Eyes narrowing, he turned and ran after Serena, hoping to catch up with the blonde girl. But, like Darien, he lost her in the crowd of students on the other side of the street. Heaving a sigh, he frowned at Darien.
"He better hope I never find out who he is. If he ever hurts Serena again, I will end up hurting him!" A growl escaped him as he turned and stalked away.
So much for stopping to see those shoes Genevieve had on display. How in the world did Darien end up in Le Lune? Serena bit her bottom lip as she darted between people, heading for the small bookstore on the corner. Of course, he's here for the medical student conference. He wants to be a doctor, after all.
She stopped in front of the store, the front painted a deep, dark black. Gold lettering painted onto the glass of the door proclaimed the store to be Elysian Books and Coffee, owned by Drake Miller. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and blinked at the overwhelming darkness. The only light came from the open door behind her. Nervously, she stepped in and let the door swing shut..
"Hello, little one," stated a sickeningly sweet voice.
Kaori Night strode out of the darkness, a greenish colored creature trailing behind her.
Serena drew in a deep breath, preparing to scream, hoping Drake would hear her and come running. There was no way she was transforming directly in front of Kaori Night. Before she could even take a step backward, the Heartsnatcher had jumped up, landing between her and the door.
"Don't make this more difficult than it has to be," ordered Kaori Night. "I'm only here for your Pure Heart Crystal."
A flash of black light shot out from the youma, colliding with Serena's chest. Her heart crystal emerged, shining brighter than she'd ever seen any of the others. Blackness edged around her vision, and the rest of her senses faded away to nothingness. She wasn't able to hear the angry cry that echoed around the bookstore, nor was she able to see the Heartsnatcher fly across the dark room.
Darien had managed to catch a glimpse of Serena's long blonde pigtails, darting into a small store on the corner.
"Elysian Books and Coffee? Serena's willingly going into a bookstore?" Shaking his head, Darien followed her, determined to try to explain things to her. When he opened the door, however, his eyes flew open wide, taking in everything a fast as he could. A creature made from green glass stood over Serena, while a woman with bright red hair and dressed in a skimpy red outfit, was striding towards her. A small crystal hovered above Serena, shining with a brilliant light.
Without thinking, he pulled out his transformation rose, turning into Tuxedo Mask in less than a second. "Serena!"
He ran forward, slamming into the creature, sending it across the room. Dropping to his knees, he gathered Serena into his arms, pulling her close to him.
"Don't come any closer," he growled.
Kaori Night smiled. "I don't have any quarrel with you, Cape Boy. Just hand over the crystal and you can both go. I promise."
Tuxedo Mask shook his head.
Amara walked out of the small local jewelry shop, holding a small box in her hands. "Serena's going to love this. It's absolutely perfect."
"I'm just disappointed you didn't let me see it first," stated Michelle, walking over. "Everything ready?"
"Yeah. We have to pick up Serena at Drake's store, and then we'll take her out to Lilly Blossom Temple."
"It was great, having Jason talk Sensei Anderson into letting us have Serena's birthday party there. With all the guests, no place else would be big enough." Michelle smiled. "I just regret the fact that Serena's friends from Tokyo couldn't make it."
"Even with Drake and Trista volunteering to pay for the plane tickets and Aunt Irene saying they could stay at their house, too!" Amara frowned.
A ringing sounded from the pocket of Amara's red blazer.
"What is it, Sara?"
Michelle watched as the frown on Amara's face deepened. Her hand slid into her pocket, gripping her transformation wand and pulling it out, revealing just the very tip of it over the edge of her pocket. A nod from Amara confirmed it. The scouts were needed.
Amara's phone snapped shut before she returned it to her pocket.
"A Heartsnatcher is at Drake's bookstore. We have to hurry. There's no way Serena could handle it on her own!"
The two of them slipped into the deserted alleyway between the jewelry store and Drake's store, transforming as soon as they were out of sight of the crowds.
"Do we call Jason and Nate to help us?" Sailor Neptune demanded.
Sailor Uranus shook her head. "No, they have to finish setting up for the party. We'll have to handle this on our own. We don't need the guys anyway."
"I really hope you're right," stated Sailor Neptune, as they opened the back door to the bookstore. When they reached the front room, she added, "I think we've got help, anyway. Who's the guy in the black tuxedo?"
"Don't know, and right now, unless he's a Heartsnatcher, I don't care," replied the taller scout. "If he can protect Serena and get her out of here, that's what matters. Distract the Heartsnatcher and Kaori Night so I can check her crystal."
Sailor Neptune nodded. "Neptune Deep Submerge!"
Leaping over the tables and shelves crammed with books, the dark blonde scout landed next to Tuxedo Mask and the unconscious Serena. Stretching out one gloved hand, she cradled the crystal.
"Who are you and what do you think you're doing?" Tuxedo Mask demanded.
"Right now who I am doesn't matter," replied Sailor Uranus. She bit her lip as she stared deep into the crystal, before heaving a sigh of relief. "It doesn't contain one of the three talismans. Thank Selene!"
Holding out the crystal, she slid it back into Serena's chest. The younger girl blinked rapidly as the color returned to her skin. "What happened?"
"You got attacked by one of those creatures," whispered Sailor Uranus, bending close to Serena. "We're going to need your help to get rid of it."
Serena straightened up, pulling out of Tuxedo Mask's arms. Her transformation brooch tumbled out of her subspace pocket to land in her hands.
"I'll be alright. Just give me a moment to go change," she stated, standing up and disappearing between the bookshelves.
"Obviously she knows who you are," observed Tuxedo Mask.
Sailor Uranus glared at him. "We don't need backup from you. We can handle it."
"Uranus! A little assistance please!" Sailor Neptune yelled.
Her partner turned and lifted her hand. "Uranus World Shaking!"
"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" Sailor Moon's voice rang out from onto of the nearest bookshelf.
The Heartsnatcher shrieked. "Lovely!"
A pair of shoes made of translucent green glass landed on the floor, the small white pod rolling away and releasing its dark energy.
"Oh, you did not use those lovely shoes!" Sailor Moon shrieked. "No way did you ruin something so lovely with your evil magic, Kaori Night!"
"So what if I did?" Kaori Night smiled, lifting up a small shard of glass that had escaped the monster's destruction. "And I have another surprise for you little scouts. This time, you won't escape me!"
Magic poured from the shard, transforming Kaori Night.
"We can't let that transformation finish!" Sailor Uranus exclaimed. "Uranus World Shaking!"
"Agreed! Neptune Deep Submerge!"
Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes. "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"
The three attacks slid together, striking Kaori Night simultaneously. She let out a shriek, before disappearing into nothingness.
"You can go now, Tuxedo Mask. As you can see, we didn't need your help," stated Sailor Moon, turning her back on him.
"Sailor Moon, wait! We need to talk!" The masked man stretched out his hand.
Fighting back tears, she demanded, "What is there to talk about? Goodbye, Tuxedo Mask. I'd rather not see you again."
She walked out of the room, towards the back door, followed by the other two scouts. When he made to follow them, Sailor Uranus turned back to look at him.
"She said goodbye, and she meant it, so why don't you just leave?"
The three scouts walked out the back door and disappeared, leaping up onto the roofops.
"What are we doing up at Lilly Blossom Temple?" Serena demanded, as the convertible came to a stop. "We're supposed to be training today, aren't we?"
"You'll see," stated Amara, leading her up the stairs. "Just wait and see!"
Michelle nodded. "This will only take a few minutes."
A small frown creased Serena's face until she reached the top of the stairs. Surrounding a large table were her parents, her brother, Rini, Mal, Zack, Jason, Nate, Drake, Trista, and a number of the students from her classes at school.
"Happy Birthday, Meatball Head," stated Amara, a wide grin covering her face. "Did you really think I forgot?"
The shorter blonde threw her arms around her cousin, before running over to the others. "Thanks, everybody!"
"And there's a little bit more," added her mother, motioning to a small screen beside the large cake.
Serena hurried over and looked into the screen. The faces of her friends, Mina, Lita, and Raye, crowded into half of the screen, clearly using the computer in Raye's room, while Amy sat in what appeared to be a hotel room, her face on the other half of the screen.
"Since we can't actually be there for your party, Serena, Amy set this up so we could at least see your reactions when you open our presents," explained Lita. "I'm just hoping mine kept in the mail."
Serena laughed, before turning to open her presents.
Surprise of surprises, Lita had sent a huge box of chocolate chip cookies, while Mina had sent a very cute t-shirt she had found at the mall.
"I even have one to match it, Serena!" Mina's laughter was contagious and it was a while before Serena could open her next present.
Raye had sent a small pile of Serena's favorite comic book, while Amy had sent a thick book.
"It's actually a sketchbook," stated Amy. "I figured, as much as you like to draw, Serena, you might actually use it."
Serena smiled over at the screen. "Thanks, Amy!"
Her parents had given her a small amount of money, while Drake had added a gift card to his bookstore, as well as the attached coffee shop. From Zack was another thick book, though this one was actually full of math and logical problems and puzzles. Jason had managed to obtain a Sailor Moon action figure from Japan, while Rini handed her a small package of new hair barrettes.
From Mal, she unwrapped a photo album, full of photos he'd persuaded her to pose for over the past several months. Michelle had brought another one of her paintings, this one of the Moon Kingdom Palace. Trista had also given her clothes, a new dress she had designed, herself. Amara reluctantly pulled out her present last, a set of keys.
"Sara is willing to teach you how to drive, using my old car," stated her cousin. "Aunt Irene and Uncle Ken already agreed."
"Thank you!" Serena threw her arms around her cousin again.
Later that night, Serena sat on the roof of her house, looking out over the night sky. She blinked in surprise as Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, Tuxedo Gryphon, and Tuxedo Phoenix leapt up to sit next to her.
"We didn't give you all of your presents earlier," explained Sailor Uranus, shifting back into Amara. The others quickly followed suit.
Serena blinked. "You didn't?"
Michelle shook her head. "We didn't want to give them to you in front of everyone else. They wouldn't get them."
The aquamarine haired girl handed her another small, wrapped box.
Serena carefully unwrapped it, revealing a miniature portrait of her mother, Queen Serenity, with Luna and Artemis on either side of her.
"Michelle, thank you. I've been wanting a painting of my mother for over a year now." Tears filled Serena's eyes.
"Mine isn't that big of a deal," stated Nate. "I just sort of found it in my subspace pocket. Somehow, it managed to survive."
Her hands trembled as she peeled back the paper to display a painting of Princess Serenity surrounded by the Inner Scouts.
The tears started pouring down her face.
Jason grinned. "Hopefully mine won't make you cry. It didn't come from the Silver Millennium. I was just thinking, hand to hand combat just doesn't fit your fighting style. You're too used to having something in your hands while you fight. So, I thought this might work better."
Carefully setting the paintings aside, she took the long thin package from Jason. Inside, she discovered a rapier, with small crescent moons decorating the hilt, and tiny pink crystal roses set at the pommel.
"It's beautiful, Jason! Where did you get it?" Serena whispered.
He shrugged. "You'd be surprised what Salem can do. We put a lot of magical power into it, too. I'm more than willing to try and teach you how to handle it. I figured a rapier suited you better than any other kind of sword."
"Thank you," she murmured, wiping tears away from her eyes.
"Don't go too weepy on me, Meatball Head," declared Amara, pulling out the small box she had picked up at the jewelry store. "I took this in to get it fixed as soon as I found it. I'm just glad they got it done in time for your birthday."
A small crescent moon dangled on the end of a fine silver chain. Flecks of white crystal shone in the silver of the moon.
"My necklace!" Serena threw her arms around her cousin. "I though I'd lost this ages ago. I didn't even have it with me on the night Beryl attacked."
"I know. I ended up on the Moon a few months ago, back when I first started remembering I was Sailor Uranus, once known as Haruka of Uranus. It was under a bench in the gardens, or what was left of the gardens. I couldn't leave it there, so I brought it back."
"You were the one who gave it to me, originally, too. On my original sixteenth birthday. It matched the one you had," she began, turning to see Amara pull the matching silver crescent moon out of her shirt, although the crystals in hers were yellow.
Amara smiled. "I just wish I knew what happened to the third. Our other cousin had one, too."
"Three cousins, whose mothers were all sisters." A sad smile crossed Serena's face. "One day, we'll know what happened to the third. Maybe when she remembers everything, too."
Author's Note: Okay, I know America doesn't do school during June, usually, but I'm making Le Lune High School a year round school. Basically, they don't get the three month long summer break, the way everyone else does. Instead, they get longer breaks during the rest of the year. That way, I didn't have to do something really strange, like move Serena's birthday. Now, I know it took me a while to get this new chapter up. I finally got my computer back from the repair shop. Diagnosed with a mother board problem, means I'll have to buy a new computer, but at least I can use my own for a while! Just had to retype everything, because I can't use my jump drives!
